End of Innocence
by Unlucky Alis
Summary: Jak only wanted to have a bit of fun, see the forbidden Misty Island. He never expected to find the Acheron Sages, and especially didn't think it would set him on a path to save the world.
1. Misty Island

…

 **Chapter 1**

 _Misty_ _Island_

…

Two boys stood in a small boat cutting its way through the choppy, grey water. The first, a youth with green-rooted blond hair, wore a blue tunic and white pants. A large metal ring in the middle of his chest, strapped to a bag on his back, and the plates on his left shoulder and elbows marked him as a warrior in training. He wood at the back of the boat, one hand on the rudder, as he watched the sun rising over the water, illuminating the dark shadow that was their destination.

The second boy, a little over a year younger than the first, leaned against the boat's side. He sighed in apprehension and kept a careful eye out for Lurker sharks. His red, orange-rooted, gravity defying hair – the other boy's hair defied gravity as well, by standing straight up – wavered slightly, but remained upright. He was dressed similarly to his friend, in a red tunic over a long sleeved white shirt, with white pants. Both wore the traditional ankle and wrist bindings of Sandover village, but instead of wearing the markings of a warrior, the younger boy wore fingerless gloves as proof of his status as an artist. In training, but he often left that part out.

As the boat entered a fine mist surrounding their destination, the younger boy turned his head so two sets of blue eyes watched the approaching island. One with an eager shine, and the other filling with nothing short of fear.

"Hey, uh, Jak?" The younger boy asked. "Old Greenstuff told us not to come here."

Jak pulled the boat up to the island, bumping lightly against the old dock, and rolled his eyes at his friend, as if to say, "Daxter, when have we ever listened to Samos?"

Of course, Jak said nothing. If he could then he would, but he couldn't, so he didn't. But, if he could speak, that is surely what he would have said. Instead, he conveyed this sentence with a glance and a raised eyebrow before hopping out of the boat.

Daxter, having flawlessly translated the expression after years of practice, sighed again, but wore a grin that mirrored Jak's own as he set foot on Misty Island. An island the boys were expressly forbidden from entering. But, as Jak had 'said', the boys never did listen to the old sage. The only regret Jak had about their adventure thus far – though it wouldn't be his last – was that Keira Hagai, Samos' daughter and the completing member of the trio, was not there with them.

Jak tried to invite her, but Keira had snapped at him for interrupting her before the sun was fully risen when she had a full day of Zoomer repairs ahead of her. He had shuffled guiltily out of her garage at the mention of the Zoomer. Keira had wanted to test the durability of her invention and Jak, eager to help since it was technically his Zoomer too, volunteered to hit it with yellow Eco. Getting to show off was just a bit of a bonus.

It wasn't the force of the blasts that nearly decimated the Zoomer, but the intense heat overloaded the Zoomer's very limited defensive features. Suffice to say, while Keira expected some damage to come to the Zoomer, her expectations were not to that degree. With her pride damaged, what little ego she had deflated, and the Zoomer in pieces, she banned Jak from her garage and prohibited any contact with the vehicle until further notice.

Daxter, meanwhile, remained oblivious to his best friend's train of thought and was instead focused on their surroundings. The island's name was accurate, if a bit boring, seeing as a fine layer of mist shrouded whatever lay about a dozen feet from them, this would also hide the boys from anything else that may try to watch them from that distance. Although any discretion the duo earned with the mist and Daxter's unusually careful movements was cancelled out by his nervous ramblings.

"How many Lurkers do you think are here? Haven't seen any yet, but I bet there are tons. But don't worry, buddy. I'll protect you. Sure, you're the warrior, but we both know that last test was rigged. I should be wearing the same threads as you, instead of these," Daxter snapped the gloves on his hands, and glanced around again in search of Lurkers. "I guess I was just too good to be a warrior, ya know? And, besides, everyone's suppos'd ta have only one apprentice, and since you got the gig before me I guess I couldn't get it too. And Samos just didn't wanna hurt your feeling, so he let you stay."

Jak chuckled silently to himself while Daxter continued to validate his artist status. The test had, in fact, been a disaster due to Daxter's clumsy nature. The one apprentice at a time thing was a lie Jak came up with so Daxter wouldn't be as upset. It worked.

"Hey! You're thinking about it, aren't you?" Daxter glared at Jak, catching the shake of his shoulders as he laughed silently.

Jak gave the slightest shake of his head, motioned to the boat, than mimed stumbling.

"You know it takes me a while to adjust to boats! And you didn't have to laugh when I fell in, or drive so fast," Daxter cried, throwing up his hands. He slumped down on a nearby rocks, cheeks still puffed with baby fat resting in his palms.

Jak pressed a finger to his lips, silencing Daxter.

"What? Are there Lurkers close by?" Daxter whispered loudly.

Jak nodded, a serious expression on his face. In reality he was just lying to keep Daxter silent. And Jak hoped it would remain a lie. It wouldn't of course, but at the warning Daxter fell silent. He now walked closely behind a confident Jak, shoulders hunched, gaze wary, and hands folded over his mouth.

Suddenly Jak stopped, feeling Daxter bump into him, and veered off his original path. He ducked behind a rock slightly taller than himself and looked over it. Daxter, being shorter, had to jump up to see and thumped against the rock, his fingers digging into a crack to keep himself up.

Jak turned and silently shushed Daxter again, bringing his attention to the clearing in front of them. It was filled with Lurkers. They were like a cross between an ape and a frog, their bodies covered in dark purple fur with large hands and feet. Their faces were smooth, but still the same colour as their fur, and they hard large mouths and wide eyes similar to the amphibian.

Before the Lurkers was a set of stairs. In front of a round door set at the top were two small puffs of dark Eco that suddenly sparked, and two people took their place. They floated above the staircase, their feet high above the ground.

It was a man and a woman, who looked similar to each other. Jak assumed that they had some kind of blood relation. Both were tall, with blonde hair so light it was almost white. Their skin was a dark blackish blue and, despite how they seemed lively, Jak couldn't help but feel they were sick deep inside, even if they looked healthy he would have thought it.

Jak frowned. Only sages had outrageous skin colours, the same colour as their Eco. Even more disturbing, they had emerged from a haze of dark Eco. While he may have the rare ability to successfully channel the other four Ecos, dark Eco was deadly. It was one of the few things Jak listened to the sage about. He glanced at Daxter, seeing if his friend was making the same assumptions as him. It was obvious that Daxter hadn't. He was watching the Lurkers with open fear and probably hadn't even seen the seen sages yet.

At some point the man had started talking, and Jak turned his attention to his words instead of appearance. The man gasped for breath at the end of each sentence. His voice had a strange quality to it that Jak could only describe as layered, as if several people were talking at the same time, and it was heavily distorted.

"…possess Precursor items, you know what to do," the man gasped. He took a deep, rattling breath while the woman took over.

"Deal harshly with anyone who strays from the village," the woman said. Her voice, as far as Jak knew, was normal. It at least lacked any of the strange qualities found in the man's.

Jak nudged Daxter and gave the woman a pointed look.

"We will attack it in due time," the woman raised a clenched fist as a slow, vicious smile spread across her face.

The boys turned and faced each other, wide-eyed. Jak slid down the rock and Daxter followed, knocking away several small rocks while doing so. He cringed while Jak shot him a look. Daxter nodded and once again raised his hands to his mouth.

The boys didn't leave the island right away, though. Jak wanted to find proof, or lack thereof, of his theory. This brought them to a large platform that appeared to be cut from the trunk of an ancient tree. In the centre was a large pit that Jak saw was filled with dark Eco.

He had no doubts know. He was right.

"What are we doing here anyway, Jak? This place gives me the creeps," Daxter complained. He looked at their surroundings, but failed to notice that which was immediately in front of him.

Jak spun about at a loud thump, slightly crouched and prepared to fight the source of the noise. When he saw Daxter face first on the ground instead of an attacking Lurker, Jak shook his head and gave another silent laugh. Leave it to Daxter to trip on the one thing within ten feet that he could possibly trip on.

Daxter lifted his head and groaned as he looked at the object of his afflictions.

"Stupid Precursor junk," Daxter grumbled, crawling around and picking up the artifact before rising to his feet. He joined Jak by the side of the pit.

"Ech… What is that dark ooze? It sure don't look friendly."

Dark Eco, Jak wanted to say. But that, oddly enough, wasn't as easy to communicate silently as his personal thoughts. So instead, Jak folded his arms and watched Daxter taking a deep breath with a raised eyebrow. Daxter blew the loose dirt off of the artifact and rubbed away the rest.

"The sage yaps on about the Precursors that built this place all the time."

Jak shifted his stance, moving one hand down to his waist. _**And now you're going on about them**_ **.**

"'Where did they go? Why did they build this crap?'" Jak grinned at Daxter's imitation of the sage, then scrambled to catch the artifact as Daxter carelessly tossed it away.

"I like Precursor orbs and Power Cells as much as the next guy. But if you ask me, they must have been real losers… Wow! How did you do that?" Daxter exclaimed. He had turned around and noticed the artifact Jak held was glowing. The symbols along the sides were releasing a soft red light.

For a moment, Jak wished he could have shouted in excitement like Daxter, but the thoughts were dashed away by a thump much louder than Daxter tripping. Jak turned and backed away from the large, bone covered Lurker.

"Jak? I think we're in trouble!" Daxter shouted, hiding behind Jak and pointing to the Lurker.

Jak glanced at the artifact in hand, scowled, and charged. Without thinking twice, he tossed the artifact at the Lurker, effectively knocking it out. This became Jak's second, and much larger regret during their adventure. Not thinking twice meant Jak didn't consider the artifact exploding and blowing him back. That really wasn't a problem, and neither was the shard of the Lurker's bone armour that embedded itself in Jak's upper arm. The real problem was that Jak was thrown back into Daxter, knocking back his friend into a large and lethal vat of dark Eco.

Jak leaned over the edge of the pit, a silent cry on his lips. He stared frantically at the surface of the Eco, looking for any signs of life and paying no attention to the blood on his arm. The surface started to bubble and Jak scrambled back as something came flying out of the pit.

Jak grinned. It had to be Daxter, he was okay. Jak turned around and faltered. Instead of his friend, he saw a small animal with orange and yellow fur. Jak crawled closer. The animal – which he now recognized as an ottsel – wore Daxter's goggles and gloves. Granted, they were much smaller, but they were undoubtedly Daxter's.

"Man, that stung!" The ottsel said in a familiar voice. He sat up and rounded on Jak.

"I told you we shouldn't have come here, and if you listened… What? Whaat?" Daxter asked. Jak shook his head, unable to convey _this_ to his friend.

Finally, Daxter noticed that something was off. Sure, Jak was about a whole head taller than him, but he was crouching on his hands and knees and Daxter was standing. Despite this they were basically eye level. He also felt… naked, but covered at the same time. He looked down at his hand, paused, and screamed.

"Okay, okay, I'm fine." Daxter took a deep breath after several moments, then looked down at his feet. No, paws, and his tail.

Daxter leapt forwards and held himself up by clinging to Jak's tunic and standing on his chest before screaming again, this time much louder. Jak grabbed Daxter around his middle, cutting off his yell by forcing the air from his lungs.

"Okay. Now, I'm good. We're good. Just take me to old Greenstuff," Daxter wheezed. "Yes, I'll be quiet. No, no more screaming. And you better not tell anyone about that, wouldn't want to ruin my manly image."

Jak nodded, stifling a smile, and set Daxter down before looking at his arm. The wound looked deep and throbbed painfully. He wanted so badly to pull out the shard of bone, but knew that it was the only thing keeping the majority of his blood inside him. Instead, he wrapped one of his wrist bindings around his arm above the wound instead, with a little help from Daxter, to staunch the flow of blood.

Satisfied, the boys headed out, but they had barely distanced themselves from the vat when another Lurker launched itself at the duo. Jak immediately sprang into action, giving the Lurker a quick roundhouse kick followed by several punches stronger than one might expect from the sixteen-year-old youth. With one final spinning kick, the animal was thrown from the ledge and disappeared into the poisonous mist below with a strangled cry.

Daxter, meanwhile, found himself scampering around underfoot in an attempt to avoid being stepped on. A sore tail proved his efforts to be unsuccessful until he found himself clambering up Jak's back to rest on his shoulder guard as the Lurker fell.

"Ooh, I like it up here." Daxter grinned, leaning against Jak's head as they watched the falling Lurker. "Shoulder good. Shoulder safe."

Jak chuckled silently and the boys made a mad dash for the boat. He wasted no time attacking any approaching Lurkers and instead remained on the defensive until he dove into the boat and started the fan, lunging for the rudder control as a Lurker lunged for him. Luckily, Jak managed to steer the boat away before any more unwelcome bodies joined them. Unluckily, the Lurker that had lunged for Jak not only caught itself on the boat, but caught the young warrior's injured arm as well. As Jak fought the Lurker off, the bone shard became snagged on something and was ripped free of his flesh, making the wound larger and severely increasing blood loss despite the tourniquet.

Jak gasped, or at least made the muted equivalent of a gasp, and finally knocked the Lurker into the Lurker shark infested waters. With the attacker gone, Jak slumped on the side of the boat, gritting his teeth and clutching his arm. He looked at the wound, blinking away his blurry vision. He couldn't be sure, but it looked like there were dark flecks swirling in his blood.

"Hey, Jak, buddy, you okay?" Daxter asked. He stood on his friend's chest once again, front paws supporting Jak's paling face.

"Jak, you don't look too hot."

Jak rolled his head and reached for the rudder.

"No way bud, you sit, I'll steer." Daxter hopped onto the edge of the boat and turned them towards Sandover village, occasionally casting Jak a worried look and keeping up a continuous spiel of nonsense to fill the silence. Twice on the way back Jak leaned over the side and spilled the contents of his stomach into the ocean.

Once docked by Sandover, Jak struggled to pull himself out of the boat. He managed to stagger along the dock and, with some assistance from Daxter that was arguably more hindrance than help, was able to stumble his way across the first bridge to Samos' hut before collapsing.

Daxter yelled in surprise as he tumbled from his shaky perch, nearly thrown off the small islet between the two bridges.

"Come on, Jak, wake up! We are almost there," Daxter said, shaking Jak as best as he could. Jak's arm was coated in blood now, and more still seeped onto the grass. Daxter hadn't known the wound was so bad. It shouldn't have been, considering its location.

"Hold on, buddy, I'll be right back." Daxter sprinted down the bridge as best as he could in a body not entirely designed for upright movement. When Daxter realized this, he didn't hesitate to finish the short run to Samos' hut on all fours, which was much faster.

"Hey, Loghead, Jak's in trouble!" Daxter shouted as he burst into the hut. He sighed in relief at the sight of the Samos meditating before him. He had been worried the old sage would still be asleep at this early hour.

Samos didn't even turn before he spoke. "What in green tarnation do you two want?"

"No, Jak's not… we-we was…! There was…! I-I was… and Jak is!" Daxter scampered up to Samos, stumbling over his words in his haste.

"Don't tell me! Instead of heeding my wisdom, the two of you went mucking around in the only place I told you not to go: Misty Island!" Samos didn't sound surprised, but Daxter, at this very moment, didn't care why.

"That's right! And then Jak-"

"And, Daxter," the green Eco sage cut Daxter off, finally turning to face what he assumed would be a blond boy and an ottsel. "You finally took a much needed… where's Jak?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell ya! Jak's hurt! Now, are you gonna keep yappin', or are you gonna help him?" Daxter scurried out of the hut without looking back. He heard Samos' sandals pounding against the wood of the bridge, calling for Keira as he followed.

Daxter stood helplessly beside Jak as Samos and his daughter approached. He watched, feeling useless, as they carried him inside.

"Jak," Daxter hoarsely whispered. "Don't die."

…

 **A/N**

 **Updates occur on the thirteenth of every month**

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' **See' you next time!**


	2. Geyser Rock

…

 **Chapter 2**

 _Geyser_ _Rock_

…

Jak didn't die, of course. While he may have lost a lot of blood, Samos said he would be fine. He made a throaty guttural croak as he awoke. His head was pounding and it felt like a thousand needles were stuck in his right arm.

"Jak, you're awake!" Daxter exclaimed. Jak opened his eyes slowly, expecting the midday sun to be shining through the window. Instead he saw the moon and Daxter's silhouette. For a moment, Jak forgot the ottsel standing on his chest was his best friend. But the wicked grin was all the reminder he needed.

He also remembered the Lurker gathering they had witnessed. At Jak's inquiring expression, Daxter nodded and hopped to the floor.

"Yeah, I'll go get him," Daxter said as he disappeared from view. "Greenstuff! Jak's awake!"

Daxter sauntered back into the hut and returned to his original perch. When Jak moved to sit up, Daxter clambered up to his shoulder, then sprawled across Jak's head, pressing his hair down.

"Look, Jak, I'm taller than you. Hey, don't give me that look! I know you're giving me that look!" Daxter leaned over Jak's face and, despite his view being upside down, saw that Jak was indeed giving him 'that look'. And 'that look' quickly changed to a very different one.

"What, me? I'm fine, bud. _You're_ the one who slept for two days. So far life as an ottsel ain't so bad. Sure, I may only be a foot and a half tall, covered in fur, and pantsless, but hey! Chicks love cute and cuddly."

Daxter gave Jak a weary grin, and the young warrior could see exactly what the new ottsel was truly thinking, but 'said' nothing of it. Not yet, at least.

Keira and Samos had entered the hut during the boys' banter.

"As a rule, Daxter, most girls don't date animals." Jak looked at the two by the door. It was obvious to anyone at first glance that the father and daughter where not truly related.

Samos the sage had a green tinge to his skin and was fairly short. Ottsel Daxter almost reached his waist, and that was with the sage's large platform sandals. On his head sat a log, with his limited but long white hair looped over it. On the log sat a small, blue and yellow bird that never left the sage's side.

Keira's skin was fair, lacking the tan Jak bore from constant time in the sun or the tint of Eco from her father's sagely ways. Instead, many hours spent working in the garage had left her with pale skin. Her hair, like Jak's was and Daxter's had been, was two-toned. Blue by the roots and turquoise everywhere else. Unlike Jak and Daxter, she had no articles to mark her as someone's apprentice. She had a thing all to herself and would instead one day take on her own apprentice to teach the workings of her inventions.

"Aww, you don't know what you're missin'." Daxter stood on Jak's head, but Jak smacked him down before he could make any offensive gestures.

Samos glared at Daxter before speaking. "Jak, my boy, what happened? The rat told us you were attacked by Lurkers? And your wound, it was infected with dark eco. I removed all I could find, but the eco was in your system for almost an hour. It's what made it so severe. If it had stayed any longer, or if there'd been more in the wound, it could have been lethal. I'm afraid there's a chance there may still be trace amounts in your arm that I haven't removed, but as long as you take in at least three units of green eco a day for the next few days, you won't get eco poisoning."

Jak nodded, but was confused. Samos always said dark eco was lethal. Daxter had fallen into it and survived, and he apparently had some in his arm, but it wouldn't be a problem? He would have to ask Samos about it later. For now, he was worried about what they had seen. Jak poked Daxter, urging the ottsel to speak.

"You wanna know what happened? Lurkers, and lots of 'em. Like, a whole clan! What, Jak? Oh, yeah! There was dark eco too, lots of it, and not just the stuff I fell in. There were these two psychos that said they were gonna attack the village." As Daxter paused to catch his breath, Jak decided to 'voice' his theory.

He pointed to Daxter and his arm, then at Samos. Since the sage was not as adept at reading Jak as Daxter or Keira were, the young warrior repeated the motions several times until he was absolutely sure Samos understood. But in the end Keira still needed to translate.

"Dark eco sages?" She asked tentatively, and Jak nodded.

"By the Precursors! You're sure?" Samos asked. Jak nodded and watched Samos carefully. The old sage sounded neither worried nor fearful, which isn't what Jak had been expecting considering how much he warned the young boy away from the toxic substance.

Jak nudged Daxter and the ottsel immediately retrieved the nearest piece of paper and a pencil before proceeding to draw the two people they had seen.

"Damn paws, can't hold a pencil right. Ah, stop slipping!" Daxter cursed at the pencil several more times before he finished. By Daxter's standards the picture wasn't perfect, some of the lines wobbled slightly because of the difference in size between his new paws and the utensil he used. To everyone else there was no question as to why Daxter was training to be an artist instead of a warrior.

Jak confirmed the quick sketches were almost exact to the people they had seen.

"It's happening already, so soon?" Samos muttered, looking at Jak, before raising his voice. "That is Gol and Maia Acheron, and they are indeed sages of dark eco. Sages I taught! I was hoping my… past experiences would help to prevent something like this from happening. We must find out what they are doing and stop them."

Jak tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. _**Obviously**_.

"What, what about me? I don't wanna be an ottsel forever you know!" Daxter jumped in front of Samos, grasping his tail.

"In my professional opinion, the change is an improvement."

Daxter growled.

"And besides, I couldn't help you if I wanted to."

"Whaaaat?!" Daxter leapt up and grabbed ahold of Samos much the same way he had Jak when he first woke up an ottsel. Jak sat up and detached Daxter from the sage, depositing the ottsel instead on his shoulder.

"There is only one person who has studied dark eco long enough to have a chance at returning you to your previous form. Gol Acheron."

"Wait a minute! _That_ Gol?" Daxter waved his drawing around frantically.

"Yes, and we need to stop whatever he's planning. But he lives far to the north. Far, _far_ to the north! Nobody had seen him in ages. I would teleport you there, but I can't do that either. None of the three sages that maintain the other teleporter gates have seen fit to turn their ends on for quite a while."

 _ **So how are we supposed to get there?**_ Samos, of course, couldn't translate the expression, and looked to Keira for an explanation.

"The only way north is by foot through the Fire Canyon. But, its volcanic soil is hot enough to melt Precursor metal. You can't just walk through it!" Samos answered once he understood what Jak had asked.

"But you could fly over it!" Keira interjected.

Jak grinned. Of course Keira would have a solution. No doubt a mechanized one. His suspicions were confirmed as she continued talking.

"If you had a Zoomer equipped with a heat shield. I just happen to be working on such a thing at this very moment." She smirked at Jak and he smiled back nervously, unsure about whether she was still mad at him.

"All I need are twenty Power Cells to give it enough energy to withstand the canyon's heat. Isn't that right, Daddy?" Keira turned an unimpressed gaze on Daxter as he attempted to show off his non-existent muscles.

"Yes, that might work. But where are a boy, and a half," Samos whacked Daxter's head none too softly with his staff, ending the muscle 'show', "going to get twenty Power Cells?"

"From the villagers! Most of them have a Power Cell or two stashed away somewhere, and I'll help. And I bet there are even more of them out in the wild, just waiting for a brave adventurer to find." Keira had leaned close to Jak while she was talking, smiling sweetly at him. Jak, now confident that Keira had indeed forgiven him, stood up straighter and offered his own proud – if slightly arrogant – grin in return.

Daxter scowled and pointed to himself. "Well, we've got the brave adventurer, at least."

"Brave adventurer?" Samos scoffed. "I see an injured boy and a rat. You two couldn't find your way out of the village without training!"

Both boys glared at Samos for the rat comment. Not only that, but they adventured outside the village all the time, and Jak _did_ have training. His protective plating wasn't just for show.

"Hey! I'll have you know we've left the village hundreds of times. I'd like to see you steal a boat and-" Daxter was silenced by a quick glare from Jak, but the damage was done. Samos' eyes widened as he processed what Daxter had said.

"You stole a boat?" Samos yelled, then murmured something about 'cruisers' and 'early signs', before continuing to berate the boys. "When this is over, both of you boys will-"

"Clean the hut? Fix the bridge? Water the plants?! Oh, not the plants!" Daxter cried in false outrage.

Samos scowled and motioned to the large ring across the hut, and the blue eco that swirled within. "Go through the warp gate to Geyser Rock for training. When you get back, you 'brave adventurers' can start collecting Power Cells."

"Now?" Daxter complained. "But it's the middle of the night!"

"Not for long." The sage motioned to a soft glow on the horizon. "Now get going!"

With that, Samos stormed out of the hut.

"I'll get started on those Power Cells while you guys are there. And take this." Keira pressed a square device into Jak's hand. "It's one of my finished communicators. I have one, and Daddy has the other. I haven't been able to test them that much, but they shouldn't malfunction. Good luck, guys. I'll see you when you get back."

Keira followed Samos out and left the two boys alone.

Jak checked the bandage on his arm before passing Daxter the communicator and jumping through the warp gate.

"Ooh, shiny." Daxter grinned at the small device before dramatically jumping through the gate, striking a pose as he disappeared in a bright blue flash.

…

Jak landed easily as he was launched out the other end of the gate. He stepped to the side to avoid Daxter, and grinned when the ottsel, not used to his smaller body, misjudged the distance between his feet and the ground. This resulted in a rather unceremonious face plant.

As Daxter grumbled and dusted himself off, Jak looked around. He had only been to Geyser Rock four times before, all of which were several years ago. Samos had taken him here every time he believed Jak was ready to be introduced to a new eco for channeling, seeking to protect any destruction coming to Sandover due to Jak's lack of ability. That turned out to be very pointless, since Jak's natural ability was very high, and in his eagerness to show off he destroyed many things long after he mastered the ecos.

The island featured tall cliffs, vibrant grass, palm trees, and the perfect location for messing around. Samos chose that moment to reinforce the situation. The device Daxter held leapt out of his palm, folding outwards until it was about the same size as Jak's own hand, with a flickering screen on the front, and two crooked antennas. The speaker crackled to life, and Samos' face blinked onto the screen while his voice poured from the communicator. Although it sounded a little crackly and distorted.

" _I will reactivate the warp gate when you've collected the Power Cells planted on the island. We're depending on you, boys_." The communicator went silent.

"Geez, so serious. It's just a bunch a Cells." Daxter scowled. Jak started walking, and the ottsel took quick, waddling steps to keep pace, his tale swishing behind him. He grumbled as small twigs in the grass snagged his fur, which resulted in him hopping about, contorting his body trying to remove the offending stick. Jak knew Daxter was a prideful person, and resisted his urge to help at first. But after several minutes of flailing and squirming, the now _much_ taller boy bent down, picked up his friend, plucked the twig from his fur, and deposited the ottsel on his shoulder.

"… Thanks," Daxter mumbled, busying himself with shoving the communicator into Jak's backpack. Jak smiled in response a fist, which Daxter leaned out to bump. The boy-turned-ottsel stood up, steadying himself by latching onto a blond lock of hair.

…

"Alright, that's the last one!" Daxter cheered while Jak grabbed the floating sphere in front of them. As he touched the Precurian metal the golden glow surrounding the object dissipated. By the time Jak dropped the Power Cell into his bag it had collapsed in on itself until it was the size of a small rock. He heard it clatter against the other Power Cells and the numerous Precursor orbs they had collected.

"Come on, Jak. Greenstuff said he'd open the gate for us."

Jak nodded and reached for a nearby cluster of blue eco. It crackled and sparked as it entered his body, and his arm started to tingle. Jak could feel the energy coursing through his body like lighting, and immediately started hopping from foot to foot, fingers and shoulders twitching. He was an extremely talented channeler, and liked to show off, but he also knew that eco was dangerous. Not as much for him, because of his abilities, but all ecos could be deadly if handled improperly.

Blue eco was a tricky one, because the energy it produced needed to be expelled or else it would build up and force its way out of your body. Forget eco poisoning, it could tear you apart on its way out.

Jak was tempted to run, use up the energy for its main purpose, speed. Instead he stepped onto a platform at the edge of the cliff the duo occupied. He channeled the sparking energy through his feet into the platform. The lightning symbol on its surface glowed and it shuddered, floating smoothly down and away, carrying the boys back to the warp gate by the cliffs base. Jak released the eco, sending a wave of blue sparks into the air around him, and hopped through the activated gate.

…

As soon as his feet were back on solid ground, Jak crouched to avoid the ottsel that came flying out of the warp gate behind him. Daxter slid to a stop and glared back at Jak, who shrugged innocently.

"Good training, boys. But that's nothing compared to the challenges that lie ahead," Samos said solemnly. He looked at Jak, almost sadly, for a second, before shaking his head.

"Aaah, they're nooo problem! We got the moves, eh Jak? We'd love to stay and chat, Big Green, but we're, uh, itching to get on with our adventures," Daxter said, waving as he spun around.

"Fine, fine. 'Adventure' away, then. So… both of you… _Get out of HERE!_ " Samos yelled, turning his back on the duo.

…

' **See' you next time!**


	3. The Muse

…

 **Chapter 3**

 _The Muse_

…

Jak complied with Samos' request and grabbed Daxter on his way out of the hut. He headed to the garage below in search of Keira, and was not disappointed when he found her leaning over the engine of the Zoomer, wrench in one hand and an oily rag in the other.

Daxter, ever the flirt, didn't hesitate a moment before attempting to put the moves on Keira.

"Hey, baby! Whadd'ya say you and I go cruisin' on this A-Grave Zoomer?" Daxter leaned against the vehicle in question.

"Once again Daxter, girls don't date animals."

"Aww, you said most girls!" Daxter grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

"In that instance, I _am_ most girls," Keira shot back with a roll of her eyes. "But more importantly, I managed to scrounge up some Power Cells, though not without greasing a few palms first. I didn't get to everyone in the village though. Daxter, your teacher might have a Power Cell we could use, and you should see your uncle, Jak. I don't think he even knows you're awake."

Jak's eyes widened. He had forgotten completely, so used to spending days away from home while exploring with Daxter. It hadn't even crossed his mind to see his uncle. He nodded and rushed out of the garage.

Daxter chuckled. "Didn't even think of the old man, huh?"

Jak held out a hand so the ottsel could scramble up to his shoulder, and flicked his friend's tail once he was settled.

"What? Why would I think of him? He's your uncle, not mine!" Daxter huffed. "Oh, sure, I guess I have to be the good looking _and_ responsible one. These are heavy burdens, ya know!"

Jak rolled his eyes and warily set foot into his home.

"Jak, my dear boy! You're awake!" Jak suddenly found himself pulled into a surprisingly fierce hug. He nodded sheepishly as his uncle let him go.

"I'm afraid this unfortunate event has occurred at the most inopportune moment," his uncle continued. "I was to set off on my journey yesterday, but I can't well leave when you're wounded. Although I seem to be a spot short on the ol' Precursor orbs anyways."

Jak recalled the journey his uncle had been planning, and an idea formed in his head. He had a bad feeling about what would be happening soon. If he could get his uncle to leave the village, he might be safe from whatever may happen in the near future.

Jak shook his head in response to his uncle and motioned for him to go.

"Well, see here! I can't leave my nephew alone so soon after he's been injured!"

Jak shook his head again. _**I'm**_ _ **fine**_ _._

He took off his backpack and dumped the Precursor orbs, around ninety of them, into a waiting bag that his uncle always took on his journeys.

 _ **Go**_ _._

"Are you quite sure, my boy?"

Jak nodded vigorously.

"At least take this for the orbs." Jak's uncle removed a Power Cell from the bag on his hip and dropped it into Jak's own, beside the other four. Jak grinned at his uncle and retrieved Daxter, who had hopped off his shoulder just outside the door when they arrived. An uncharacteristically respectful action.

"So we're all good? Off to see the sculptor? What do ya think, will he find the new me… artistic? Maybe he'll paint me. I'd be a great model. I wonder if he'll recognize me?" Daxter continued to ramble on until they reached his teacher's hut.

"Hey! Little furry dude! Aww… I thought you were my muse." The sculptor sighed dejectedly at the sight of Daxter.

"Your what?" Daxter asked.

"Haven't you ever seen a muse before? It's a little glowin' squirrel about your size, full of spunk, and crazy as a lark!" The description was unfamiliar to both boys, but Daxter had something to say anyways.

"Oh, I get it! Like a sidekick." Daxter pointed to Jak in what he assumed was a subtle manner. It really wasn't.

"Without my muse, I just can't sculpt. I think she ran away to that Misty Island. Oh… I just hope she's alright. It's worth a Power Cell if you bring her back to me."

"Wait a minute!" Daxter jerked upright, and Jak could have sworn that his eye twitched. " _We_ are _not_ going back to _MISTY ISLAND!_ "

Jak glanced at Daxter as the ottsel turned to face him.

"…Are we?" Daxter squeaked.

…

"Forget the muse! You're crazy as a lark! You both are!" Daxter had protested the whole way back to the fisherman's boat, although it hadn't been very far. But he hadn't tried to make a break for it and willingly stepped into the boat for the second time in two days.

"Do we hafta steal it again? What if ol' Fish Breath finds out?"

Jak rolled his eyes. _**He won't unless**_ **you** _ **tell him.**_

"That was an accident," Daxter defended his earlier slip of the tongue. He stumbled as Jak started up the boat's fan and found himself face to face with a long red stain trailing down the inside of the boat. Daxter glanced up at Jak in time to see the mute boy's eyes flit away from the dried blood. His dried blood.

Jak glanced at his bandaged arm. It throbbed, and he could still feel the sting of dark eco. The Lurker that attacked him must have been influenced by it. Jak assumed all Lurkers working with the Acherons were.

He turned his attention to Daxter.

"What? I already told ya, I'm fine!"

 _ **Really, Dax?**_

"Yeah, totally!"

Jak just continued to stare at Daxter. It didn't take long for the ottsel to give in.

"Okay, okay! Stop with the soul reading. I'm short, fuzzy, and pantsless. My teacher didn't recognize me, and I'm not even human anymore," Daxter huffed.

 _ **You're still human**_ **.**

"Of course I'm not, look at me!"

 _ **I am.**_

"And?"

 _ **I see you, Daxter.**_

Daxter wasn't sure how to respond. For a moment he thought he misinterpreted Jak's expression, but that never happened.

"Well, of course you see me!" Daxter exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "I'm a one of a kind hero, no matter what I look like it's always me!"

Jak grinned. He knew Daxter was still upset, but their brief conversation had at least helped a little.

They circled the island once before docking in the same spot as last time. Jak had been hoping to find a different location, but besides the one beach there were only tall cliffs and a large wall circling what Jak assumed was a bay. The gates on the wall remained shut as they passed, something both boys were extremely grateful for. Jak theorized they could follow one of the chasms between cliff faces that cut into the island, but the poisonous mist would have prevented them from going very far.

With no other options he reluctantly returned to the beach front.

"Okay, let's find this 'muse' then get out of here. I don't wanna be on this island for a second longer than I hafta be," Daxter hissed, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.

Jak decided that at this particular moment Daxter didn't need to know they would not leave as soon as they found the muse. Finding out what the Lurkers were up to was more important than Daxter's numerous fears, rational or otherwise.

"So whadda ya think this muse thing looks like?" Daxter asked.

 **How have you never seen the muse before?**

"How haven't you?" He shot back.

 **I don't spend half my days in that hut** , Jak reminded him with a roll of his eyes.

"Hey, it's not _my_ muse," Daxter tried to defend himself, but knew he'd already lost. He resigned himself to a sulky silence perched on Jak's shoulder.

The boys proceeded much more cautiously this time around, but that hardly prevented any unwanted confrontations. After climbing up several ledges, two Lurkers came into view. They also saw Jak.

The larger one charged, swinging its club to gain momentum. Jak ducked as the swing came, feeling the club pass inches over his head. He jumped out of his crouch and brought his fist up to meet the Lurker's chin. The beast stumbled back, dazed, and Jak attacked again. He clasped his hands together and spun around, connecting with the Lurker's temple. It crumpled, either dead or unconscious, but Jak didn't have time to check which.

The second Lurker, much smaller than the first and lacking a weapon or armour, ran at him. Jak disposed of it easily with a few well-placed punches and kicks that sent it flying into the rock wall of a cliff.

"Hey, Jak. I see the muse!" Daxter pulled on Jak's ear as the last Lurker fell and pointed across the clearing. Sitting on a rock watching them was an animal about the same size as Daxter. It had golden fur, long ears, and a sort of squashed head. Its tail flicked expectantly and as Jak took a step towards it, the muse jumped up with a playful yelp. Jak hesitated and slowly took another step.

The muse turned and ran. Jak immediately gave chase, climbing up tall rock stacks, and running across bridges of bone from one to the other. He knocked out any approaching Lurkers quickly with flying kicks and surprisingly heavy punches. The muse led them farther around the island, jumping across deep ravines filled with poisonous fog. They managed to drive the muse towards a hole in a large rock wall, and cornered it on a ledge on the other side. Jak leapt forwards and snagged the animal before it could try and escape.

Daxter then snatched the animal up and tossed it roughly into Jak's backpack.

"Stay!" Daxter shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the golden head poking out of Jak's bag. The muse mewled in response and batted playfully at Daxter's tail.

"Alright, buddy, we got the muse. Now let's get out here. Jak? Hey, Jak, are you listening?" Daxter asked as he shoved the muse's paw away.

Jak was not listening. Instead, he was staring around the walled in bay in front of them. The ledge they were on provided a perfect vantage point. Nearby were various wooden walkways on which Lurkers patrolled and barrels rolled down. Hidden in the mist Jak could just barely see the outline of a ship. An ominous, rhythmic boom echoed around the bay.

"We aren't going back yet, are we?" Daxter asked dejectedly.

Jak shook his head. _**Nope**_ _._

They turned away from the ledge and continued in the direction the muse had seemed to be leading them. The ground here was broken up into towering columns of stone that Jak had to jump across. Ahead he could see a large door and, hoping it would lead to the bay, he approached the Lurkers guarding it.

These Lurkers were stronger than the others and wasted no time before attacking. Jak was immediately knocked back by a heavy fist and would have fallen into the mist below if not for some well-placed crates that broke apart as they absorbed his impact, and halted Jak's trajectory.

As he rose, Jak felt a familiar strength surge through him and looked down to see a red energy melt into his skin. Red eco, the eco of power. When channelled properly, it did wonders to increase physical strength. Unlike the tingle of blue eco, red eco felt heavy. If you didn't know how to manipulate it properly, you could easily injure yourself.

Jak grinned at the surge of strength and launched himself at the Lurkers, punching them off the stone columns and into the poisonous mist with one hit each. When they were all gone he released the remaining eco in a single punch into empty air, a haze of red flowing from his fist and dispersing high above the ocean water.

Daxter was humming nervously as Jak stood before the door. It slid open when they neared and closed itself again after passing through.

"Careful, Jak. Remember what happened the last time we were here?" Daxter reminded, pressing against Jak's shoulder while the muse pulled its head into the safety of the backpack. The area looked familiar, which meant they were nearing the eco well.

Maybe this wasn't the way to the bay?

Jak found his eyes drawn to the walls surrounding them the same time that Daxter shouted, "It's an ambush, Jak! It's an ambush!"

Lurkers started to jump down from the walls and Jak moved into action. He dodged, kicked, and punched so fast that Daxter believed for a second he was channeling blue eco.

As Jak rolled away from an attack he heard a sharp clang and whipped around as a bomb exploded. He flew backwards and, while regaining his bearings, noticed bombs were constantly dropping into the area. But they weren't aimed at him. They were aimed at a set of doors in the middle of the floor.

 _ **They're trying to open it.**_

Jak ducked away from another punch and kicked the Lurker in the chest. He heard its ribs snap.

"Okay, but what is it?" Daxter asked, clinging to Jak's shoulder for dear life. The muse, which had ducked low into Jak's bag, yowled as a large purple body stumbled into Jak's back.

 _ **No idea, but it can't be good.**_

Jak knocked out the last Lurker and a set of stairs rose by the far wall. He was about to climb them when he noticed Daxter gulp.

"Let's keep away from the ooze, okay?" Jak nodded and instead turned to a door opposite the one they entered through. Like the previous door, it opened as he approached and closed once he was through.

"Ooh, creepy!" Daxter shuddered. Jak followed his line of sight to a large ribcage they would have to walk under to move ahead. "Who would wanna live here anyways?"

 _ **Lurkers**_ _?_

"And crazy dark eco sages!"

Jak grinned while Daxter continued to express his hatred of the island through various noises and expressions that greatly amused the muse. As Jak rounded a large rock he finally found himself facing the bay. Ignoring Daxter's protests, he climbed onto the ship that he had seen from the ledge.

He kicked the occupying Lurkers overboard and into the water below knowing that, despite the existence of Lurker _sharks_ , regular Lurkers were very poor swimmers. He moved to the back of the ship and found his way onto the wooden walkway, jumping over rolling barrels and pushing several more Lurkers into the water.

The steady booming got louder as he walked.

When they reached the end of the walkway Jak found what he was looking for. A large cannon firing bombs in the direction of the eco well, and those closed doors. Jak knocked away the Lurker guard, drawing the attention of the one manning the cannon. But it was unprepared for an attack and easily sent into the water.

Jak glanced at the cannon, the boat, than Daxter.

 _ **What do you think?**_

"Do it, Jak!" Daxter cheered.

Jak nodded and hopped onto the cannon, spinning it around to aim at the boat. As he fired, Daxter made his own sound effect for the explosion. Though the real deafening boom prevented either of them from hearing it.

As the ship was blown apart, the walkway attached to it started to crumble. For a second neither boy made a move and they simply watched the domino effect of the collapsing walkway speed towards them. They looked at each other, then jumped as the boards below them fell away.

They landed a relatively safe distance from the falling boardwalk and swam to shore. Or Jak swam, and Daxter clung to Jak's backpack while the muse mewled in annoyance. As Jak pulled himself onto the shore, he realized his arm was hurting again and looked at his bandage. It was speckled with fresh blood.

He sighed. He knew all his fighting would agitate the wound, but opted to ignore the stinging pains as he punched. Now that he had acknowledged it, though, there was very little he could do until he got to Sandover and found a source of green eco.

"We can go now, right?" Daxter asked hopefully.

Jak glanced at the sun, which was now low in the sky, and nodded. They headed back to the boat, a much easier task than their first trek across the island since all the Lurkers were either dead, unconscious, or panicking at the sight of their sinking ship in the bay.

…

 **Thanks to** Lord Jaric, Princess Serena til Universo, and oXxWalkerofTheNightxXo **for following,** ab-memoria **and** oXxWalkerofTheNightxXo **for favouriting, and** ab-memoria, InsaneInfinityBlade, **and my guest for reviewing!**

 **Guest:** I'm glad you're liking it so far! It's mostly just a precursor ( XP ) to my novelization of Jak II (not yet titled), so the story itself won't really change. It's more for characterization, and to frustrate you guys with tearsers :P

' **See' you next time!**


	4. Mora and the Oracle

…

 **Chapter 4**

 _Mora and the Oracle_

…

When Jak and Daxter returned home they found that Jak's uncle had already left on his journey, a fact that allowed the older boy to relax.

On the ride home the boys decided to tell Samos of their findings tomorrow. After the sculptor was once again in possession of his muse, and the boys were in possession of one more Power Cell, sleep was the only thing on their mind. Jak had even forgotten about his arm until Daxter threw a vial of green eco at him. Jak nodded in thanks and channeled the life giving eco, the sensation of cool rain washing over him as the eco worked its way through his body and healed his arm.

Before Daxter could settle in for the night, Jak picked him up and dropped the ottsel onto the nightstand, crouching down so they were eye to eye. He'd given his best friend a pass earlier when they were heading to Misty Island, but it had just expired. None of Daxter's smiles since becoming an ottsel had been honest, and Jak wouldn't stand for him wallowing in self-pity. It just wasn't allowed. So they entered into an intense staring match. Daxter unwilling to speak, and Jak unable to.

Daxter's ear twitched and his eyes started to water, widening comically in an attempt to fight off the urge to blink. It didn't work, and as usual, he broke first.

"What?" Daxter snapped.

Jak tilted his head forwards. **You're short**.

"Yeah, yeah, and you never let me forget it," Daxter said, brushing off the comment.

Jak gave him a _look_. **And you're fuzzy.**

"What is this, tease the ottsel day?" Daxter joked.

 **And you're not fine.**

Daxter's smile dipped before slipping off his face entirely at Jack's intense stare.

 **You're still you.**

"You already said that," Daxter grumbled, crossing his arms and turning away slightly.

 **But you don't believe me yet.**

Daxter stood in sullen silence, his tail swishing back and forth across the nightstand, and Jak sighed. His friend was many things, but he wasn't usually this stubborn. Once more Jak decided to relent. Daxter needed more time to come to terms with everything, and Jak wasn't certain whether his younger friend realized this change could be permanent yet.

Jak leaned back, signalling Daxter's momentary victor. Daxter gave a surprised and triumphant nod and scrambled onto the bed Jak's uncle had provided him with several years ago. It was a comical sight, the small orange rodent curled up on the too large bed. Jak smiled softly and pulled the drawing of Gol and Maia Daxter had made from his pocket. He placed it beside Daxter's head.

"'Night, Jak," Daxter mumbled.

Jak huffed his own goodnight and flopped down onto his bed. Exhaustion finally catching up, he was asleep within minutes, dreaming fitfully of a figure with pale skin and hair. All the while, Daxter lay awake.

He discovered his first night as an ottsel that he didn't need to sleep as long as he used to. It was an interesting first night, especially since he had been worried about Jak. But now there was nothing to worry about. Except maybe the fact that Keira would never date him now.

In all honesty, so far being an ottsel hadn't been all bad. But it wasn't good either. Daxter would never admit to it, but he always felt useless. Lacking Jak's physical prowess he was always tripping and stumbling, and denied his chance at being a warrior. Jak was the strong one, he thought up the great adventures and kept them out of at least lethal danger. Daxter just tagged along. And he couldn't make things like Keira. While she may not be an adventurer, she was always inventing new things the boys could use.

Daxter knew Jack was trying to cheer him up, but it was hard when he couldn't even walk on his own without getting in the way.

As he continued to contemplate every negative aspect of his recent transformation, he noticed that Jak's sleep was not as peaceful at it looked. He wasn't tossing around or anything, but his expression was pained. Sweat dotted his forehead and his knuckles were white from gripping the sheets tightly.

Daxter wasn't totally sure about what to do, if he should even do anything. As far as he knew, Jak didn't have nightmares. Just as Daxter was about to do something, _anything_ , he froze.

No, that couldn't be right. He couldn't have _heard_ something.

Daxter watched carefully and noticed that Jak's lips were moving ever so slightly. He hopped off his bed and climbed up next to Jak's head. And he actually _heard_ something.

"M… Mora," Jak rasped.

Daxter blinked, stunned, and heard Jack whisper it again.

"Mora…"

"More a? More a what?" Daxter shouted, nudging Jak. When the older boy didn't respond, Daxter grabbed one of his ears and shook his head gently. "Jak, buddy, wake up!"

At Daxter's prompting, Jak slowly opened his eyes and blinked wearily at the ottsel prodding his face.

"What did ya say?"

Now Jak blinked in confusion. _**Say**_ _?_

"Yea, you said somethin'!"

Jak shook his head. _**You're hearing things.**_

"No way, I'm not! My ottsel ears are ten times better'n yours."

 _ **Dax, I can't talk. Go to sleep.**_

"Hmm, fine. But I know what I heard."

Jak shook his head again and rolled onto his side. He couldn't speak. He wasn't sure why, no one was, but he knew.

He couldn't speak.

…

"You _what?_ "

"We blew it up! Baboom, baby! Right Jak?" Daxter cheered from his usual perch.

Jak nodded in agreement.

"I said, right, Jak?" Daxter asked against, enunciating his words. Jak glared at Daxter and gave one more firm, slightly annoyed nod, while Daxter stared at him intensely. Several exchanges similar to this one had already taken place that morning.

"So what were the Lurkers doing?" Keira asked, ending Jak and Daxter's glare-off. Keira and Samos looked at Jak for an explanation, who in turn looked at Daxter for a _verbal_ explanation. Who in turn deliberately looked away, humming idly, and studying his nails in the hopes of forcing Jak to give said verbal explanation.

Jak bobbed his shoulder and jostled Daxter, forcing him to play his part.

"Oh, right. I have to tell them. I mean, since you can't talk or anything," Daxter said, as sarcastically as he was able. "So we go through this door and we're in this big, walled off, circular area. Suddenly, Lurkers start jumping down from the wall, at least _fifty_ of 'em and… and…"

Daxter cast one cautious glance at Jak before continuing.

"And they start doin' ballet, and Jak here is throwin' roses and—"

Daxter was abruptly cut off by a light smack from Jak. The ottsel rubbed the back of his head and growled in frustration.

"Oh, fine, I'll tell 'em the truth since you won't. They were tryin' to blow open these doors in the floor of this circle area. The whole thing was made of Precursor metal anyways, no way they would've succeeded."

"That was the Precursor Silo!" Samos exclaimed.

"The what now?" Daxter asked, momentarily forgetting his quest to make Jak speak.

"A large silo full of dark eco. If the Lurkers opened it up and released it, we would all end up running around looking as ridiculous as this annoying specimen!" Samos prodded Daxter with his staff. "I have to admit, I'm impressed. You two didn't screw up! You've proven your worth, Jak. Now that the Lurkers can't access the silo they can't flood the world in dark eco, and cause untold destruction. Wipe that smug grin off your face, Daxter! Gol and Maia will no doubt think of other ways to open the silo. It is still of the utmost importance that we go North to their citadel. The two of you have plenty to do!"

Jak, Daxter, and Keira shared a glance and left the hut together

"The Zoomer is almost ready, I just need one or two more Power Cells. We should be able to find some in the Forbidden Jungle," Keira said as they walked.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! We?"

"Of course, Daxter. There's no way I'm letting you guys leave me behind again. Besides, I want to see the great adventurer in action." Keira nudged Jak with her shoulder while he grinned in approval, both of them chuckling at Daxter's expense. No way he could resist an opportunity to show off, even if it meant the mechanic would be with them.

"Of course you do," Daxter said in what he assumed was a suave voice.

"Great! I'll meet you boys by the entrance to the jungle." Keira sauntered into her garage, determined to be prepared for whatever they may face in the jungle. Jak, correctly predicting that it would take Keira more than a few minutes to do so, decided to wander the village, lost in his thoughts.

Daxter had been acting strange all morning, and it had nothing to do with him being an ottsel. Jak briefly recalled that Daxter had woken him up last night, but he couldn't remember why, or what the ottsel had said to him.

This annoyed Jak greatly. His years spent in silence had made him a great observer, and he was excellent at reading people, but he had no idea why Daxter was acting so strangely. While his best friend liked to mess around and tell outrageous stories, the basis for them was originally fact. When Daxter had started to describe the events that took place on the silo, Jak had the overwhelming urge to shout out the real events himself.

He had almost done it, too. But the moment he opened his mouth, that intense feeling of… of wrongness that came every time he tried to speak washed over him, and he had gone no further. Instead, Jak had prompted Daxter to tell the real story.

Jak scowled and thought for a moment that he'd found the reason for Daxter's behaviour when the subject of his thoughts tugged on his ear.

"It's one of those Precursor oracle thingies, like Loghead always goes on about." Daxter pointed to a large, nearby statue.

Jak looked around. They were still in the village, but for some reason he couldn't say that he had ever actually seen the oracle at any point in his ten years of living in their village. Although nothing could be said of the six before that, since he had no recollection of them.

"I hope they weren't that ugly in person." Daxter laughed as they neared it.

"Greetings, young warrior," the statue rumbled. Daxter yelped and nearly fell from Jak's shoulder, but recovered quickly.

"He must be talkin' about me," Daxter whispered.

"I sense you have the light within, but already it has been touched by the darkness. Fear it not, for it will be necessary to save your future, and ensure you survive the past. My brother awaits your return to this world." The oracle's eyes, which were glowing a bright blue, flared briefly, then dimmed. Two Power Cells deposited themselves on the grass.

"To aid your journey, young one," the statue rumbled once more, then fell silent.

"Creepy," Daxter said after several seconds of quiet. Jak agreed and retrieved the two Power Cells. For a moment, he entertained the idea of not going into the jungle, now that they had what they needed. But in the end he decided they could always use some extra Power Cells. Plus he hadn't been to the jungle in a while and missed that specific brand of excitement.

…

"Holy yakow, Jak! Be careful, would ya?" Daxter cried. He leapt out of the range of danger and grabbed a nearby fallen branch to defend himself.

Jak only grinned in response. He stood firmly in the middle of the mildly worn jungle path. He had his hands on his waist and leaned back slightly, head tilted and turned just a little to the left. This effectively kept his face out of danger, but he could feel the sharp teeth of the tree snake gliding against his long ear. The sharp points nicked it several times.

This provided Keira with an explanation for the numerous small indents she always noticed along his ears.

"Venomous?" Daxter asked, watching the slowly increasing red lines on Jak's ear.

Jak shook his head, pointing out the snake's slightly dark colouration. He also ducked as the snake lunged at the opportunity to do more than nip at his ear.

He wasn't sure why, but the jungle snakes never opted to leave the tree branches. Or at least Jak had never seen them leave. The snakes had strong bodies, allowing them to dangle from the lower branches while still holding a relatively generous range of movement. Throughout his years exploring the jungle Jak had become accustomed to the reach of a full grown jungle snake, making stunts such a simple matter of calculation.

"Stop showin' off, Jak. We got that Power Cell from the fisherman, now we just gotta find one more," Daxter complained.

Jak obliged and stepped well out of the snake's reach. Having lost its prey, the snake pulled itself back into the canopy of leaves, yellow eyes glowing among the green.

Cutting through the middle of the jungle was a gorge with a river at the bottom. At one point a narrow bridge spanned its width, and it was there they found the village fisherman. As it turned out, his fishing boat had been attacked by Lurker sharks and needed to be repaired. In the meantime, he settled for fishing in the jungle river. But the current was too fast and the fish too quick for a simple pole and reel, and he was forced to use a net. Jak, Keira, and Daxter helped him out by filling a basket with fish, and he had thanked them with a Power Cell. Along with permission to use his function motor boat. Jak and Daxter decided not to mention they had already stolen it twice.

"Do you know where we'll find another one?" Keira asked, and Jak promptly pointed through the trees. The walls of a temple were barely visible between the thick trunks. If they were going to find a Power Cell lying around, it would be there.

They moved quickly through the jungle, but not as quickly as they could have. Jak, in an unusual display of caution, made to follow the actual path through the jungle instead of just barging through the trees. This could be attributed to the fact that Keira was with them. But when an unnoticed snake lunged from the trees above, a quick swing from Keira's favourite wrench proved that the extra caution was not necessary.

On the way to the temple, they confronted several Lurkers stalking around the eco beam source which generated power for all of Sandover Village. Jack took them out with ease while Daxter rolled his eyes.

"Stop showin' off," the ottsel drawled. Jak just grinned arrogantly at him because, yes, he was showing off, and he wasn't about to stop.

Accessing and navigating the temple once they reached it turned out to be extremely easy. While channelling blue eco, Jak jumped across the chasm between the temple and the rest of the jungle floor. His speed gave him just enough of a boost to make it across, but it didn't stop Daxter from screaming the whole way. Jak channeled some eco into a blue pad on the ground, which activated a bridge for Keira to use, and sent the rest of it through the doors, opening them.

There were a fairly limited number of hallways inside and they were at the doors to the main chamber in no time. Jak pressed his hand to the door, and it slid open. What lay inside made the three friends freeze.

"Is that…?" Daxter asked, wide eyed.

Jak nodded.

"A plant," Keira confirmed.

"And…?"

"It's infected."

"And it has a face."

All three were unsure of how to approach. Besides the face, it was a mass of thick, thorn covered vines that waved around like tentacles.

"A Power Cell is supposed to be here?" Daxter asked. He looked around the room. Besides the plant it appeared to be empty.

"It's just… staring at us," Keira said, looking back to the plant.

"Should we poke it with a stick?" Daxter jumped down from Jak's shoulder and twirled the small branch in his hands. The dark eco plant turned its eyes on the ottsel.

"I don't think it likes that," Keira whispered, as if the slightest noise would set off the plant. Her reasoning was almost correct.

Daxter looked up, and suddenly a vine lashed out and he was upside down.

"Jak, help!" Daxter shouted, smacking the vine holding him with his branch. Besides irritating the plant it did nothing.

Jak lunged forwards, aiming for the vine holding Daxter, but was knocked aside by another. His roll was halted by the walls of the room. On impact his head snapped back and cracked against the Precurian metal. Jak shook his head and rose unsteadily to his feet, then ducked out of the way of another vine.

Across the room Keira was swinging her heavy wrench at the smaller vines, and up above Daxter had managed to impale the one holding him. The grip loosened, but not enough to drop him. Jak, deciding that attacking the vines would get them nowhere, made his way to the main body of the plant. He jumped up, punching its face, and the plant grumbled. A few vines darted towards him, and he quickly slipped out of the way. But instead of halting or following, they actually struck the plant itself.

Jak's eyes widened as a plan formed in his mind. He climbed up the back of the plant and started ripping at what he reasoned would be the neck.

The plant shrieked and focused its attention on Jak. But, being a plant turned sentient by dark eco, it was neither intelligent nor strategic. It started to bombard Jak with a flurry of hits. Only a few actually managed to graze him, the rest continuously landed on the area Jak had been ripping apart. The thorns along the vines cut deeper into the wound and Jak saw his chance. He moved quickly, leaping up over its head. As he passed, Jak grabbed the beak-like maw of the plant and yanked it down as he fell.

There was a loud tearing and the plant stopped moving, immediately starting to wither. Daxter groaned as he rose from the floor, having fallen ungracefully when the plant died. He glared at Jak, who was still gripping the plant's severed head.

"Hey there, big guy. Couldn't've waited until _after_ you got me down?"

Jak chuckled silently and dropped the head.

"Found the Power Cell!" Keira called. She picked her way around the shrivelling vines, careful to avoid the dark eco that leaking from the plant. "I don't know why, but the plant had this thing wrapped in its vines. Let it go when it started attacking you. With this I should easily be able to power the heat shield and…"

Keira suddenly halted a few feet from the boys, eyes wide. "Jak, your hands."

Jak glanced down and saw that they were coated in a thick, dark purple ooze. They weren't completely covered, but he hadn't felt it. If Keira hadn't pointed it out he doubted he would have noticed. Keira grabbed a canteen of water from her hip and dumped the contents on Jak's hands. The dark eco easily washed off, and Daxter jumped back to avoid being splashed.

 _ **I'm fine.**_ Jak answered his friends' questions before they were asked. He stared at his hands, fingers curling and uncurling. _**Don't tell Samos.**_

"But Jak, that was dark Eco!" Keira hissed. She capped her canteen and put it back on her hip. "That stuff is poisonous."

"Look at what it did to me." Daxter leaned back and gestured at his body.

 _ **Don't tell Samos.**_ Jak looked at them both firmly, clenching his fists, and left the room. Keira and Daxter watched Jak for a moment, then glanced at each other before following.

…

 **Thank you to my guest reviewer!**

 **Guest:** I had so much fun writing the muse, with its playful personality. I'd get one in a second if they were real :P

 **Hope you liked the chapter! I hinted at some future plot stuff, some of which will be important in the sequel, and some of it important here. I'll leave it to you guys to decide which is which.**

' **See' you next time!**


	5. Rock Village

…

 **Chapter 5**

 _Rock Village_

…

"Even I think the old Loghead should know," Daxter muttered. He was sitting on the A-grav Zoomer while Keira finished working on the heat shield. Jak glared at him.

 _ **I'm fine. Samos doesn't need to know**_. He clenched his fists, hiding his hands behind his back.

"You don't know if it's fine! You wanna end up looking like me?"

 _ **I**_ _**do know**_ , Jak insisted. And he really really did. He knew how dangerous dark eco could be, but he also had this feeling that he would be fine. Just like how he felt the traces of the lethal substance in his wound weren't a problem either.

"Unless I'm not the only one who's had a little swim in dark eco then… then you've touched the stuff before." Daxter's eyes widened as he came to the conclusion. He jumped to his feet, and the sudden movement had him falling backwards off the Zoomer

Keira froze and stood slowly to look at Jak. He looked stricken and was shaking his head vigorously. Neither of them witness his moment of brief and confused hesitation before the denial

 _ **Never! I just know it's fine, and it just doesn't hurt**_.

"Have you taken in three units of green eco?" Keira asked. Jak motioned to his head and held up five fingers.

"Maybe that's why it's fine now…" Keira knew she was grasping at straws, but if Jak said he was okay then he was. Besides, she believed he had an honest face. He didn't, of course. Jak was an excellent liar. He wouldn't tell his friends, but the tips of his fingers were burning and desperately itchy around his nails.

Keira kept her eyes on Jak a moment longer before sighing and turning back to the Zoomer. "I'm done with the heat shield. But it will only protect the Zoomer until it reaches 500 degrees. If you hit 500, it's all over."

"Over? Like, burning molten metal over?" Daxter pounced on the engine and rapped his knuckles against it several times.

"That's why I'm going to release several cooling balloons that can be used to drop the shield's temperature quickly. I'd go with you guys if I could, but the Zoomer can only fit one person, and you're definitely the better driver, Jak."

"A crazy one, too," Daxter mumbled. Jak laughed silently while Keira continued.

"I've managed to get the old trans-pads working, so the Zoomer will be at the canyon entrance when you get there. Daddy and I will come through the warp gate once you've activated it."

"Why can't we just use the trans-pads to get to Gol and Maia's?" Daxter asked.

"Because any organic material that goes through will be ripped apart," Keira explained casually.

"Burned alive or torn to shreds. How would you rather die, Jak? Willing to risk it?" Daxter asked. Jak grinned swung his arm out to the Zoomer.

"Burned alive it is!" Daxter said with false cheer. Jak nodded and turned to leave when Keira grabbed his arm.

"Good luck," she spoke softly. Jak gave her a reassuring smile, then left with Daxter scampering after him.

…

"Jak, _Jak, JAK_! Slow down! No, don't go _over_ the lava, get the balloon!" Daxter tightened his grip on Jak's shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut and preparing himself for imminent death. At the last possible second, Jak swerved to the left, over an open patch of lava, to pass through one of Keira's balloons. He steered back over the broken up rocks that were the equivalent of solid ground in the Fire Canyon.

Jak estimated they had been in the canyon for around half an hour. While the Zoomer's shield protected them from the worst of the lava's heat, that didn't mean the boys weren't uncomfortably hot. Jak could feel the slick sweat coating his neck, and Daxter's own damp fur made it worse.

Jak quickly brought his hand up to wipe the sweat from his brow. When he looked back to the path he jerked the Zoomer to the side to avoid a large rock that had appeared in his path. Suddenly, the Zoomer was airborne. Or at least more airborne than one or two feet. Jak took a moment to look back and saw that avoiding the first rock had brought him into the path of a second. This one flat and jutting out from the lava. The perfect ramp.

He grinned while Daxter screamed. The Zoomer slammed down hard when it landed, the bottom scraping against the rocks before finding its place above the ground once again, just in time to avoid dipping into the lava

"Jak, I know that face. Don't do it!" Daxter pleaded, but his wishes went ignored. Jak turned sharply and launched them over another ramp-like rock. While airborne he spotted a ridge of green. They had finally reached the end. This time the Zoomer touched down on grass, and Daxter whooped when Jak pulled them to a stop.

"Wahoo! We made it! Jak, remind me never to do that again," Daxter said as he jumped from the Zoomer. He proceeded to kiss the soft green grass and thank the Precursors that Jak hadn't killed them.

"Oh, hey! Jak, wait up!" Daxter glanced up to see Jak walking towards Rock Village without him. Daxter caught up as Jak entered the Blue Sage's lab. It was a mess. Books were scattered across the floor and bits of inventions lay smashed all around them. Jak shuffled through the mess and turned on the warp gate.

Samos came through first. He stumbled as his feet touched solid ground and raised a hand to his head. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that teleporter tingling sensation."

Samos continued to mutter and glanced around the room as Keira exited the warp gate followed by a… a bird?

"It looks like the Blue Sage threw a party!" Samos almost sounded offended.

"Uh, Daddy? Rock village is on fire," Keira pointed out the smashed window of the lab. Jak slowly drew his eyes away from the large blue and yellow bird, which was inching towards Daxter, and looked outside. There were several large flaming rocks scattered throughout the village.

"One heck of a party!" Samos grumbled, still observing the inside of the lab.

"No, Daddy. Rock Village is being bombarded with flaming boulders." Keira sighed in frustration. As Samos finally looked out the window, Keira bent down to see through the Blue Sage's telescope, and Jak couldn't help but let his eyes wander.

"The path to leave the village is blocked, but it looks like the Blue Sage was working on a machine to move it. I'll have to check if it's operational." Keira stood up again and turned, forcing Jak to raise his eyes.

"We'd better take a look at his notes," Samos agreed. "Jak, go check on the villagers, then come back and give us an update. And take the furball with you."

…

Jak and Daxter spent the rest of the day wandering around Rock Village. They helped a geologist chase lightning moles back into their burrows, and gave her some Precursor orbs in exchange for Power Cells, and got another two Power Cells by feeding a gambler's addictions. It was one of the few times Daxter was thankful for Jak's reckless driving.

Before leaving the outdoor café set beside a lake, Jak warily approached a large man sobbing dramatically into his hands.

"Oh, my aching head..." The man moaned. Jak stood back and examined his armour. He was the warrior of this village.

"I doubt that's one of your vital organs! Walk it off, tough guy!" Daxter teased, then flexed his own absent muscles. The warrior finally pulled his face from his hands and looked at the duo. There weren't any actual tears in his eyes, but he did look distraught.

"Oh sure, I was tough once. Maybe even the toughest of them all! I single-handedly defended this village against those horrid creatures for almost a year!" The warrior clenched his fist and stared into the distance. Jak found it all to be a little annoying. "Then that horrible monster arrived and commenced the boulder bombardment. So... full of valor... armor shining in the sun... I climbed the hill to take him on...! But he pounded me like one tenderizes a yakow steak."

The warrior hung his head again, arms resting limply on his knees. Jak just stared at the man, finding it hard to believe that _this_ was the village warrior, even with his muscles and armour. _He_ would never give up after losing once. Any warrior knew that there would always be someone stronger than you, which is why constant training was required in order to beat those opponents. Jak would never let one defeat affect him so much.

"Have you tried attacking him with your melodrama?! 'Cause it's killing me!" Daxter chuckled, nudging Jak. The blond hero tried to smother the smile crossing his lips, but failed. He agreed with the ottsel wholeheartedly.

"After my last stunning failure, he sealed the passageway to his roost with a 30-ton boulder, leaving no way for anyone to challenge him again. So, our sage, a master of blue eco and a mechanical genius, devised a plan capable of lifting the boulder out of the way...!" The warrior's voice had risen dramatically through his tale, getting stronger, until his tone suddenly shifted. "But alas. He disappeared before we had a chance to turn it on. And he took all his Power Cells with him. At least I was able to pull enough pontoons out of our bridge to prevent that monster from coming down here to do me harm!"

Jak rolled his eyes and glared at the man. He should have been worried about the village itself, not just himself. The young hero normally avoided thinking negatively about people, but he thought this was pathetic.

"Yeah, good. Good job there, tough guy. But um, we're gonna need you to uh... put 'em back and stuff," Daxter said, Jak nodding along. The pontoons were their only way across the lake, since it was home to several nasty Lurker sharks. Keira couldn't even look at the Blue Sage's machine until she got across.

"Oh, sure, and seal my doom?!" The warrior wallowed. Jak just gave him an annoyed stare, and the man gave in. "Alright, fine. Bring me 90 Precursor orbs and I'll let the pontoons loose. But I'm _not_ going to fight that monster again! Take all the time you want bringing me the orbs. I'm not looking to fix the bridge anytime soon."

"Uh, buddy? _We_ are _heroes_. At least I am, can't say much for Jak here." Daxter quirked his thumb at Jak, who gave his shoulder a threatening shake, almost knocking Daxter off his perch. "We've got your orbs right here!"

Jak removed his backpack and showed the warrior its contents.

"Oh… wonderful, you have the orbs." The warriors head bobbed dejectedly, and he passed Jak a pouch for the orbs. "Alright, I'll fix the bridge. But don't ask me to get involved with that creature again!"

Payed in full, the warrior sluggishly stood up and trudged toward the broken up bridge.

"Yeesh, what a drama queen! We couldn't even get a Power Cell outta him," Daxter complained.

 _ **Let's go back to the hut.**_

"Hey, what do ya think old Greenstuff would say if he heard we killed that _giant plant_ before?" Daxter asked.

Jak shrugged.

"I know, bud. It would be hilarious."

Jak shook his head and rolled his eyes. It was no secret that Daxter and Samos didn't get along, although no one really knew the reason why. A few villagers in Sandover did find Daxter annoying, but no one actively hated him like Samos. It probably didn't help that Daxter showed such little respect. Jak himself wasn't Samos' biggest fan on some occasions, usually because of how he treated Daxter, but he always respected the sage's abilities. Eco was powerful and, second only to the Precursor monks that lived in temples hidden in the wilderness, were closest in connection to the long gone Precursors.

Samos had asked Jak once if he would like to be a sage, but he refused. Jak loved adventuring, and was always drawn towards the prospect of being a _warrior_ , although he didn't know why. Sandover didn't have a warrior for the longest time, which meant Jak didn't have a role model or an inspiration for his decision. The current warrior had travelled a long way before settling in Sandover and taking up the role, and eagerly accepted Jak as a student.

Jak could still remember Samos' reaction when he passed the test, which had been a simple obstacle course.

" _I should have known."_

Jak never really got what the old sage meant, since he and Daxter did their best to keep their adventuring on the down-low while around any adults. Most wouldn't react too kindly if they found out two young boys spent their days wandering the dangerous Forbidden Jungle.

"Well, the situation here stinks worse than a Lurker's armpit!"

Jak stopped at the entrance of the hut. Samos, who had made the exclamation, was holding a pale blue notebook, while Keira had her nose buried in what looked to be designs for the Blue Sage's machine.

"Before Blue Sage's disappearance, he journaled trouble in all the surrounding areas. Of particular interest to me is the dark eco infection of some innocent plants in the Precursor Basin." Samos looked up and spotted Jak and Daxter in the doorway. "Jak! Keira will transport you're A-grav Zoomer to the nearest trans-pad. Ride the Zoomer to a green eco vent and carry it to the corrupted plants. That should heal them. Don't miss a single plant, or the infested ones will slowly re-infect the healthy ones."

Jak nodded while Keira joined them outside.

"Did you find a way across the lake?" Keira asked.

"You know we did, baby." Daxter hopped off Jak's shoulder and casually leaned against the doorway. "It was no problem, just took a little muscle."

"Then I'm sure Jak had an easy time getting it done." Keira rolled her eyes.

"Hey! I helped!" Daxter protested, which was a blatant lie. Although Jak didn't really do anything either, besides listen to a grown man whine for ten minutes.

"I'll send the Zoomer over now, good luck." Keira smiled at the duo and left. Jak kept staring at her while Daxter hummed and examined his nails.

"She wants Orange Lightning, I know it."

Jak chuckled silently and nudged his best friend with his foot.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming!"

"No you're not, Daxter!" Samos appeared in the doorway, blocking Daxter with his staff. "Start cleaning up in here, and don't forget the corners!"

"What? But Jak-"

"Doesn't need help channeling green eco. I haven't forgotten that you two stole a boat." Samos cross his arms, glaring at the human-turned-animal.

"I'll show you boat stealing," Daxter hissed, before blinking in surprise. "Wait, that doesn't make sense."

Jak shook his head, gave Daxter a hearty wave, and headed off towards the Basin. As promised, the Zoomer was sitting by the entrance. Jak was looking forward to this task, expecting more of what they had faced in the temple. He was thoroughly disappointed when, after driving around the entire Basin, found that there was only a patch of sickly, dark purple plants. No creepy faces or snapping vines. He sighed, it could have been a good fight.

Healing the plants was simple. Jak would hover beside the eco vent, gathering as much green eco into his body as he could, then drive around the infected plants and channel the eco into their roots. The task took a little longer than Jak expected it would. While the infection didn't spread very quickly, there were enough plants that by the time he went to the vent and back to refill, they were sick again.

Finally there was only one plant left. Jak dismounted the Zoomer and approached. He still had about a minute before the plants around it would be re-infected. Jak examined the plant closely. Other than the new purple shade, and the occasional dark spark, nothing seemed dangerous about it.

Jak recalled Daxter's earlier accusation that he had touched dark eco before. As far as the young warrior knew, he hadn't. But with six years of his life lost from his mind, who knew what he'd done before arriving in Sandover. Jak shook his head. He was positive he'd never touched the offending eco before. But he couldn't deny that moment, when Daxter accused him, that he felt a twinge of doubt. He was at least ninety percent sure he had never touched it before.

But now he was curious. For all Samos' warnings, Jak felt relatively fine. The wound on his arm burned a little, but the tingling in his fingers had faded a while ago. He wasn't dead like anyone else would be, and he wasn't an ottsel like Daxter. So what made him so special?

Jak was reaching out, about to touch the plant.

"Jaaaaak!"

He quickly pulled his hand back and looked over his shoulder. Daxter was running through the grass and skidded to a stop beside the Zoomer.

 _ **What's**_ _ **up**_ **?**

"I managed to sneak out without Loghead seeing, and I thought you might need some help. You know, with me being the hero and all," Daxter explained. "But I was coming here, and this big Lurker attacked. He was flying, Jak, _flying_!"

 _ **What?**_

"You heard me! Flying Lurkers! Let's go." Daxter gestured emphatically towards the front of the Basin, the only way out. Jak pressed a hand to the ground, sending the last of his green eco into the plant. The leaves faded from purple to green as he walked away. Daxter clambered onto Jak's shoulder while the Zoomer started up and they took off.

Jak was in no way a careful driver. He was fast and reckless, speeding across the Basin, and taking unnecessary routes that had them driving on natural bridges high above the ground. They were near the end of the Basin when Jak turned.

"Hey, what are you doing? Exit is _that a way,_ " Daxter cried, tugging on Jak's ear. Jak ignored him. There was no real reason for a Lurker to be in the Precursor Basin, and he was curious as to why it was here. After two minutes of driving, Jak spotted the animal. It looked unnatural with wings.

The Lurker's limbs dangled down, it's body too heavy for proper flight. The wings were bat-like and flapped heavily, creating gusts of wind and using more effort than it should have to keep it airborne. There was something clutched in its hands.

Jak took quick stock of their surroundings. Up ahead a section of ground sloped upwards, rising up to one of the bridges he drove across before. In about thirty seconds the Lurker would be flying across it. Jak changed course and started driving up. The Lurker was faster than he expected, and had already passed over the bridge

 _ **Hold on, Dax.**_

"What? What'd you say? I can't see your face, bud. What'd you saaaaaaay?" Daxter screamed as Jak veered off the bridge and they were flying through open air. Jak reached up, ripping the object from the Lurker's hands, and yanking one of its wings. The creature shrieked in pain and took off.

"Jak!" Daxter cried as the ground approached. Jak grabbed the ottsel and jumped from the Zoomer, rolling along the grass. But there was no explosion or loud crash like he'd been expecting. Jak opened his eyes and searched for the vehicle. Without his added weight, it must have landed smoothly and glided over the ground for several feet before stopping.

Keira would have killed him if he trashed the Zoomer again.

"You were supposed to remind me!" Daxter screeched, checking his body for any damage. But they were both fine. Jak looked at the object in his hands, which had shrunk considerably since he first grabbed it.

"All that for a stinkin' Power Cell? Let's go, Jak." Daxter returned to Jak's shoulder and they remounted the Zoomer.

The boys were leaving the Precursor Basin when the communicator beeped.

"I got it, I got it!" Daxter dug through Jak's backpack and pulled out the square device.

" _Hey, guys_!" Keira's voice poured from the crackling speaker.

"Keira, baby, what's up?" Daxter leaned against Jak's head.

" _The machine was complex, but I've managed to get it working. All I need is a Power Cell to get it up and running_."

"Good thing we great adventurers collected another couple Power Cells. Of course, I did all the work."

" _Great! Come back to the Blue Sage's lab and we can activate the machine tomorrow_." The com crackled then went silent.

"Alright, Jak, I wanna sleep. Let's head back," Daxter tugged Jak's ear.

…

 _The colours were mesmerizing. They flicker and danced. Red, orange, yellow. The way it moved and consumed, almost like it was sentient. He couldn't stop staring at them. He didn't notice it at first, the shadows within the flames. Writhing and grown smaller as the wall of fire grew higher. They weren't supposed to be there. Or he wasn't supposed to be here. They belonged together, and he had to get back to them. He reached out, but just as his fingers felt the heat, something pulled him back. A hand on each shoulder. On the left it was gentle but firm. On the right, strong and protective. And, oddly enough, sharp. But the shadows, and the fire. He had to get through the fire!_

…

Daxter watched Jak closely while he slept. The young warrior was dreaming again, and he seemed to be muttering as well. The ottsel frowned. Tonight he didn't hear any words, but he knew that Jak had spoken the other night. Daxter wasn't sure why, or how, but he would find out.

…

 **Sorry for the delay! My time is consumed with exams, and I didn't even realized the thirteenth had passed until now.**

 **Thank you to** JGM16 **for following!**

 **Please review and tell me how you like the story so far!**

' **See' you next time!**


	6. Klaww

…

 **Chapter 6**

 _Klaww_

…

"Hey, hey, hey, back off the goods!" Daxter jumped away from the large bird that tried to nuzzle him once again. They were in the Blue Sage's lab, and had just finished preparing to move on. Samos had left a few minutes ago, to where the three teens didn't exactly know. Samos couldn't fight, and he couldn't operate the Blue Sage's machine. Until the next portal was opened, there wasn't really anything Samos _could_ do. But he had left anyways. Jak, and subsequently Daxter, had been about to head out when Keira stopped them, hopping back through the portal, and returning with a large blue bird that wouldn't leave Daxter alone.

"You boys can't handle a baby bird?" Keira teased.

"Boy? I'm a full grown… somethin'… somethin' fuzzy..." Daxter lamely defended himself, looking down at his body as he tried to remember what he was now.

"Ottsel. And this baby flut flut is how I managed to get a Power Cell from the birdwatcher." Keira tossed a saddle over the flut flut and strapped it on. "She gave me permission to outfit her in riding gear. We never know when her long jumps might come in handy. Besides, there's no way you guys are leaving me behind again. Baby flut fluts are exceptionally fast, and they're strong too. So now I can go with you guys through the Mountain Pass without a second Zoomer."

"Itchin' to see the great hero in action once again?" Daxter purred, striking a pose. Keira just rolled her eyes in response and guided the flut flut outside. Jak and Daxter followed.

As they headed into the village, the mute blond spotted a familiar statue. The area around Rock Village was, understandably, mountainous, and village itself was nestled in a sort of valley with steep walls. The oracle, which he had failed to notice the previous day, was hidden in a dip in the rocks. The tilted elevation of its perch kept it hidden from the ground, but now that they were are the right angle Jak could see it perfectly. He immediately veered towards it, picking his way up a steep path on the cliff face.

"Beware the dark light," the oracle rumbled once he was close enough. "You have been warned not to fear it, but be warned that no good comes of embracing the shadows. You're fate has been twisted, but the lives of the dark ones have always been yours to take. For you sacrifice, I offer you Power Cells for your quest."

Like with the first oracle, the light from the eyes flared and dimmed as two Power Cells appeared before Jak. He took them eagerly, doing his best to ignore the strange feeling provoked by the oracle's words.

"Wow," was all that Keira could saw as she stared at the oracle.

"Aw, it's just some stupid Precursor junk. Come on, Jak. You've got a Lurker to wrestle." Daxter pushed his best friend away from the statue, and yelped as he saw something move in the shadow of the rocks. Jak turned at the sound and pulled Keira closer to him. Three sets of eyes watched the shadows and Jak quickly pressed a hand over Daxter's mouth before the ottsel could yell again as they identified the dark furred form.

Slowly, Jak started to follow the Lurker.

Confident in its stealth skills, the Lurker rarely looked around to see if it was being followed. Unwittingly guiding a boy, a girl, an ottsel, and a baby flut flut to its destination. Jak stopped at the entrance to the Boggy Swamp and watched the Lurker disappear in the mud and reeds.

"What's a Lurker doing in the swamp?" Keira asked. Jak scanned the area, a habit that served him well. The ground was mostly mud, and the deep steps left by the Lurker had already been swallowed up. There were walls of vines and thorny brambles, woven around spindly trees that could barely survive in the muck. They were considerably tall and too thorny to climb. Jak's gaze was drawn to the sky, and he nudged Keira. There was some kind of patchwork balloon just visible in the distance.

"Same thing they were doin' on Misty Island," Daxter supplied, all but reading Jak's mind. "Nothin' good. You're, ah, gonna follow it, aren't ya?"

Jak didn't even nod. The gleam in his eyes was answer enough.

"I've gotta go with you, don't I?"

Jak tilted his head and glanced at Daxter from the corner of his eye.

"Why? Are you scaaaared?" Keira taunted.

"Me?! Of course not! Just… lookin' out for Jak here. You, uh, know what a chicken he can be."

"Good. Because I _was_ looking forward to see the great hero in action again." Keira spoke with as much sarcasm as she could muster. "I'm glad I made such a large saddle. We can all fit on the flut flut and easily navigate over the mud."

Jak gave the large bird a quick pat before climbing into the saddle. Keira sat behind him and blushed as she was forced to press against him to fit, wrapping her arms around his waist. They navigated the swamp with surprising ease. Even with the weight of two riders, the flut flut moved quickly enough that there wasn't time to get stuck. The occasional Lurker frog leapt at them from the muddy depths, but Daxter whacked them away with his trusty stick. He had carried it with him ever since the jungle, and even whipped up a functional leather strap to keep it on his back while they were in the Blue Sage's lab. It wasn't the best work, since the Blue Sage mostly dealt with machinery and there was little in the way of leather, plus Daxter himself was only good at art not actually making things. But it worked.

Jak finally pulled the flut flut to a stop when the balloon, now identifiable as a Lurker dirigible, loomed beyond a built up wall of mud and plants. They dismounted and quietly approached the area shrouded in dirigible's shadow. Four thick ropes tied the dirigible to the ground, and several more disappeared into the mud below.

There was a flurry of Lurker activity as they went to work on loosening ropes to the ground. Slowly it started to rise, and with it something shifted in the mud. Sleek Precurian metal rose from the muck, and Jak felt his eyes roaming as he searched for hints as to what exactly it was.

But hints, it turned out, were not needed. Once the entire object was raised from the mud it was quite plainly revealed to be a large metal arm.

" _A Precursor robot_!"

Daxter jumped at the sudden presence of Samos' voice and both boys turned to Keira. She had her communicator in hand and had just finished describing the events they bore witness to her father.

" _I've never heard of one being in such good condition. We may not know what those Lurkers want with it, but we can't let them have it! Jak, you have to stop them_!"

Jak's look could easily have translated into _**duh**_ , but Samos could neither see Jak nor translate his muted form of communication anyways. The young warrior glanced at the dirigible. They would have to cut it loose, so it could freely float away and no longer be of use. But first the giant arm would have to be dropped back into the mud.

Without even asking Daxter, Jak picked up the ottsel and threw him hard to the ropes holding the arm. Daxter screamed as he soared through the air, scrambling to catch one of the ropes as he past. His claws scraped against one, but couldn't dig in before he was flying past, his trajectory thrown off by the attempted grab.

"Aah!" Daxter yowled as he started tumbling tail overhead. Thankfully he managed to grab onto the next rope, swinging around and feeling the pads of his paws burn. He curled up tightly, his small shoulders jarred by the quick stop. The moment he was oriented he started chewing.

"Jak… I'm gonna… kill you… if the Lurkers don't!" Daxter yelled between bites.

The threat, however, fell on deaf ears. As soon as Daxter left his hand, Jak charged into the open and dove for a nearby yellow eco vent, thanking the Precursors for the convenient source of fire power. The eco flooded his system in a wave of heat, but not in a painful way. More in a this-stuff-is-hot-and-dangerous-so-be-careful way. But it could quickly become painful if didn't expel the eco in time

He pointed and fired at the closest Lurkers, catching a glimpse of Keira swinging her heaviest wrench, the one that never left her side. Above them, Daxter was swinging around on his severed rope, going from one to the next and ripping through them as fast as possible.

"Get the ropes, Jak!" The ottsel called as soon as he was done. A loud splash signalled the release of the Precursor robot arm, and Daxter used one of the loose ropes to swing to shore as Jak blasted the ones still holding the dirigible. The surviving Lurkers cried out in alarm as the balloon floated away, forgetting their attackers in lieu of chasing down the flying craft. Jak considered chasing after them, but decided the monster Lurker was more important and signaled that it was time for them to go.

As they remounted the flut flut, Keira contacted her father once more.

"Jak took care of it, Daddy," Keira reassured the old sage.

" _Good work Jak, your uncle would be_ _proud_ ," Samos supplied a rare bit of praise, which was cancelled out by his next statement. "If _you keep the success up… nah, you'll still fall short of a hero. But keep trying. It's endearing._ "

Daxter growled as the communicator went silent and they made their way back to Rock Village.

…

The Blue Sage's machine hummed and crackled. For a moment Jak thought it wouldn't work. He had complete confidence in Keira's ability, but there was something about the machine that made Jak feel he couldn't trust it. A blue beam of energy shot from the needle-like end and surround the boulder. The ground shook as the energy coursed through it, pebbles zooming away along the ground. Jak could feel the excess eco as it searched for the closest container, which just happened to be him. He started tapping his foot and fidgeting so the blue energy wouldn't rip him apart.

"There we go!" Keira cheered as the boulder finally lifted off the ground. She fiddled with the controlling levers and the machine started turning. Daxter backed up warily as the large boulder passed overhead, while Jak just stared up at him. Lightning streaks of blue eco jumped from the field of energy into him. The boulder passed, and Keira set it out, turning off the machine.

"Be careful facing that monster Lurker at the top. This is different from the Fire Canyon, more dangerous," Keira cautioned. The Lurker had retreated when they were approaching the machine, but she had managed to get a good look at it first. The beast was huge and looked powerful.

"Wait! Oh, I'll stay here and protect Keira. Jak, I think you're ready to handle that monster without me." Daxter scrambled down from Jak's shoulder and scurried over to stand beside Keira, curling around her ankles.

"Oh, really heroic of you," Keira said, nudging Daxter away. His response was to climb up the nearest rock and settle on her shoulder instead. Jak smiled, shaking his head, and channeled the remaining blue eco in his system down to his feet, dashing up the hill to face the beast.

Daxter tugged on his tail for a few moments when Jak disappeared over the crest. He sighed heavily and leapt for the ground, following his best friend. Keira found herself only a few paces behind, if only to watch from the sidelines.

She gasped when she reached the top, lying flat on the grass so she wouldn't be seen. The monster Lurker had retreated to a pool of lava. It was protected by a combination of dark eco alterations and a large metal suit, the right hand of which was massive.

"I shall call thee, Klaww." Daxter spoke regally while the Lurker roared. Keira and Jak both rolled their eyes. "What? We need to call it somethin'."

Jak shook his head and cuffed Daxter lightly before taking in the battle ground. The newly dubbed Klaww was surrounded by tall columns of rock in the middle of the lava field, but would not be impossible to reach. There were three slabs of rock on the lava's surface, swaying as Klaww made waves in the thick substance. The reliability of their buoyancy was debatable, but it was Jak's only chance. He couldn't fight if he couldn't get close.

Rather than doing the logical thing and stepping back to form some kind of plan, Jak leapt off the hill, leaving behind the safety of the green grass. His chosen rock bobbed when he landed, the lava lapping up along the edges.

"Uh, not that I don't have _total_ faith in you," Daxter said, "but are you _crazy_?! I don't wanna die!"

 **Relax, Daxter.**

"I refuse. Especially not when you, Jak, _look out!_ " Daxter shouted, but the blond was already moving. He leapt across the gap between two of the rock slabs, and the boulder Klaww threw skimmed over the spot where he had been standing seconds ago. Jak rolled as the boulder made a splash in the lava, hot red globs splattering the ground inches from his toes. The fight continued like that for several frustrating minutes. Klaww stood unharmed in the lava while Jak was reduced to maneuvering among his questionable purchases.

The monster Lurker resorted to keeping his distance, maintaining up a constant bombardment while Jak dodged. He ducked and wrapped his arms around his head as Klaww threw a poorly aimed boulder. It smashed into one of the surrounding columns, raining rock down on Jak and Daxter. The column wasn't completely destroyed, but the top half was now gone, and it was much closer to Klaww than any of the platforms Jak was currently using. There was a decent gap between them, but the blond warrior was confident he could make it.

 **Hold on.**

"Like I have a choice!" Daxter shouted, digging his paws into Jak's hair. The young warrior backed up as far as he could, wishing he had some red or blue eco to help boost his jump, and took off. Waited until the last moment to jump off the rock slab, his toes dipping off the edge. Jak's arms shout out, wrapping around the rock, and his chin knocked against a solid point. He winced, feeling a sharp pain as his skin split open, and shot to his feet.

Klaww, sensing the danger of Jak's approach, suddenly dove into the lava. The lava went still, and Jak leaned over his rock, looking for a ripple of movement. His first thought was a sneak attack, and he had Daxter keep an eye behind him. But he needn't have worried. Klaww burst through the lava on the other side of the pool, as far from Jak as he could possibly be.

The Lurker's dive must have shifted something on the floor, because a metal walkway rose from the liquid fire. Because of opaque lava, Jak couldn't see any kind of support, but assumed it was part of some old Precurian system for crossing the pool. The metal would be hot, incredibly so, but Jak knew he might not get so lucky again. He leapt from his column, resisting the urge to roll when he landed, and tried to stay on his toes. The burning started immediately and Jak did his best to ignore it, which wasn't easy. He ran forwards, grunting and hissing as he peeled his feet away from the metal. Klaww was quick to resume attacking, and everywhere his boulders hit the walkway broke apart. Not even Precursor metal could withstand lava for hundreds of years without some kind of weakening.

A boulder landed close to Jak, smashing through the metal path and rocking what little remained. Jak stumbled and would have fallen over the edge if Daxter hadn't yanked on his ear and pulled him off his trajectory. He instead fell against the hot metal with one hand dangling dangerously close to the lava. He let out a garbled scream as his left side burned. He struggled to his feet, barely able to rise into a crouch. Where his hand had been moments ago there was now a ball of yellow energy. Through his pain, Jak managed to form a plan.

Just as green eco was connected to and found in abundance in plant life, yellow eco was found in fire. And lava.

Jak drew as much of the yellow energy as he could from the lava before another boulder forced him to scramble away. He lunged to the end of the path and brought a hand to his chest, focusing the destructive eco there.

When the burning reached an almost unbearable level, worse than the metal beneath his feet, Jak released it in one massive blast. The eco exploded against Klaww's exposed middle. If that hadn't been enough to kill him, the boulder Klaww was holding ended up falling onto his head. The monster Lurker tipped backwards and sunk into the lava.

With the path behind him destroyed, Jak ran to the safety of the cool, cool grass on the other side and collapsed.

"Jak, buddy, you okay?" Daxter asked. After Jak's first risky leap, he had stayed buried in the older boy's hair. He jumped to the ground and circled Jak, yelping in surprise when he saw his friend's injured side.

"Holy yakow, Jak!" Daxter shouted. "What did you do?"

"Jak, great work!" Keira, riding the flut flut, was bounding across the Precursor walkway. It only took three long hops to reach the other side. Because of the flut flut's padded feet, the bird touched down unharmed on the grass. Keira dismounted and gasped when she turned. She ran to Jak's side and knelt next to him, digging several vials of green eco from her pockets. She uncapped three, pouring one over his arm, and one on each foot.

"I can't decide if it's good or bad this isn't your already injured arm," Keira commented. Jak channeled the eco as it touched his skin, drawing it to wherever it was needed most. The burns must not have been as bad as they looked. The pain ebbed, and Jak pretended he couldn't see the dark swirls mixed with green and red as he was healed. When it was done, Keira helped Jak stand and she remounted the flut flut.

"The people of Rock Village are breathing a collective sigh of relief, but there's no time to celebrate. We have to get to the Red Sage's lab. The Zoomer is waiting for you at the trans-pad." Keira paused, then looked down at Jak. "Wanna race?"

Jak taking off towards the trans-pad was all the answer she needed.

Keira laughed and the flut flut broke into a dead sprint, passing Jak and Daxter as they reached the Zoomer. But the bird and the girl never stood a chance. Sure, the flut flut was fast, but Jak's reckless method of driving meant he slowed for nothing. And also called into question whether Jak actually understood the words 'dangerous' and 'possibly life-threatening'.

His driving was both.

Jak floored it before he was even settled in the seat, and did not let his foot up once for the entirety of the race despite Daxter's protests and the fact that they had left Keira in the dust moments after taking off. He swerved around trees, rocks, and jumped over wide chasms that punched through the ground. Falling down one of those would definitely be fatal, and Daxter expressed his concern over this every time Jak drove over one with a sharp, piercing scream.

As they neared the end of the pass, the volcano loomed up before them, and Jak plunged the Zoomer into a dark cave. Red eco crystals jutted from the rock, providing dim red light, and Jak could feel the powerful thrum of their pure energy as he zipped past. The cave narrowed, forcing Jak through a small tunnel barely big enough for the Zoomer.

Up ahead was a blue eco vent, and Jak grinned as he gunned the engine, hunching over the controls as he got a brilliant idea.

Keira's Zoomer wasn't designed like the blue eco pads, or eco operated doors. Its main source of power was Power Cells, but that didn't mean it _couldn't_ be powered by eco. Jak steered straight over the vent, absorbing as much blue eco as he could, and channeling straight into the vehicle beneath him.

"Jak, what are you doiiiing?!" Daxter shouted, his voice ripped away by the wind as the Zoomer lurched forwards. The red eco crystals became blurs as Jak zoomed past them. Jak leaned to the side when he spotted a sharp turn ahead, and the Zoomer drifted around the corner, the tail end brushing against the rock wall and sending them into a spin.

"Jaaaaak!" Daxter screamed, clinging to Jak's shoulder pad while the rest of his body flailed out behind him. Jak slammed on the breaks and they skidded between two metal structures build along the cave walls. The Zoomer tilted, and both riders went tumbling to the ground. Jak maintained hold of the handlebars and quickly channelled all remaining eco back into his body before releasing it.

"Of _all_ the people in the world that could learn to drive Keira's Zoomer, it just had to be _you_ ," Daxter spat as he pulled himself up, dusting off his fur.

Jak chuckled and walked up to the drifting vehicle, guiding it to the trans-pad. He jumped onto the ledge behind it that lead further into the cave and leaned against the rock wall, waiting for Keira to catch up.

…

 **Sorry about the wait! I had a bit of a chapter mix up, one of my files got deleted, and I had to find my notes again. I wasn't able to post it yesterday because of an essay I needed to complete as well.**

 **Thanks to** Basketin a Nutcase **,** D-Tos **, and** Maxus Herald **for following,** Basket in a Nutcase **again for favouriting** **and reviewing (also for the fantastic extra idea)!**

' **See' you next time!**


	7. The Volcanic Crater

…

 **Chapter 7**

 _The Volcanic Crater_

…

He could see the flickering, even though his eyes were closed. A wavering light in the darkness. He didn't want the darkness to go away, but he knew it needed to. When he opened his eyes the light stayed. In fact, it grew bigger, and revealed itself to be a flickering wall of orange and yellow. It was hot, like being surrounded by yellow eco, but the burns on his skin were real. Deep, scarring, and unbelievably painful. But he didn't stop reaching into the blazing inferno. There was something on the other side of the fire he desperately needed to reach.

He was on his knees, leaning forwards as far as he could. The closest tongue of fire was licking at the bottom of his chin. He could feel it, he was almost there. Just a little further and he would-

Something pulled him back, away from the fire, and he cried out.

" _Shh…_ " a soft voice whispered in his ear, and a slender hand covered his mouth, silencing any noises he was making. Whoever held him turned him around, and he no longer paid attention to the thing on the other side of the flames. Instead he focused on the deep purple eyes.

" _Little prince,_ " the woman whispered, " _we need to…._ " As she spoke, she changed. Her skin paled, become ashen grey, and all colour seeped out of her hair until it was white. Her eyes were no longer purple, just a black void. At some point during the transformation she had been replaced with a man.

But he wasn't scared of this new man.

The change had been fluid, and a gruff voice finished the woman's smoothly spoken sentence as if it had started it. Which, technically, it had.

"… _get you out of here, kid_."

"JAK!"

Jak awoke with a start, and found Daxter standing on his chest and leaning close to his face.

"Finally! It takes a whole heard of yakow to wake you. Keira just got here." Daxter pointed his thumb back and jumped off Jak's chest.

"Oh, did I take too long?" Keira asked innocently as she patted the flut flut. "Since you were obviously gonna win, I decided to just take my time. I found some Precursor orbs and some Power Cells too."

Keira tossed a small pouch at Jak who, despite being groggy and distracted by the desperate need to recall his dream, caught it deftly and added the contents to his backpack. The bag was nearly full, with a larger amount of orbs and Power Cells than Daxter and Keira suspected.

He liked to collect them. Pretty soon Jak would have to warp back to Sandover to empty his backpack at home.

They walked further into the cave, to the heart of a volcano. They took a moment to observe in awe. The Red Sage's lab was built in the middle of the cavern, propped up on jointed supports that disappeared into the lava. There was a rope bridge missing several boards leading up to a walkway around the hut. All around the crater there were ledges jutting from the cavern wall and tall stacks of rocks scattered around the bubbling hot surface. He could see a rickety mine cart track across the lava.

Jak headed inside first, jumping over the missing bridge boards without a second thought. The walkway went halfway around the hut to the front entrance, another rope bridge facing the open door and leading to the other side of the cave.

The Red Sage's lab was in a worse state than the Blue's. The floor was covered in all manner of things. Books, bits of metal, glass. If something could be overturned, it was. Jak activated the warp gate and stepped back as the blue eco filled the frame.

Samos fell through the gate and, after a surprisingly graceful flip, landed on his head.

"I always wonder if I'm losing body parts in those things!" Samos grumbled.

Keira and Daxter stifled their laughter as best as they could.

"Holy yakow! The Red Sage's lab looks worse than the Blue's!" Samos glanced around the lab and started picking through stray papers.

Kiera gravitated to a map pinned on the wall. "The fastest way to Gol and Maia's Citadel is through the Lava Tube at the bottom the crater. It'll be a lot hotter in the closed space, so I'll need more Power Cells to boost the shield again. As many as possible."

Jak dug through his backpack and started passing over any Power Cells he had, though he was a little reluctant to let them go.

"It will take me a while to adjust the shields this time, so just… make sure Dax doesn't destroy anything," Kiera said.

 _ **No promises.**_

"Eh, whatever. I'm gonna go find some grub." Daxter jumped from Jak's shoulder and scampered away in search of the Red Sage's food store. Jak rolled his eyes and followed Keira out of the hut. Instead of heading back around the walkway to the Mountain Pass and trans pad like Keira, he started across the bridge directly in front of him.

"And where are you going?" Keira asked.

Jak shrugged. **Exploring.**

"Without the 'great adventurer' by your side?" The mechanic smirked, and Jak grinned back.

 **I'll manage.** Across the bridge there was an entrance to a wide cave that split off from the main cavern. Jak could hear a sharp _chinking_ noise from inside and two muffled voices. He made a note to explore that later. To the right there was a gondola hut, the cables extending from it leading up into a hole in the cavern wall.

Something drew him to the left instead, where he couldn't see anything of interest. Jak jumped down a series of ledges, each one closer to the lava than the last, skirting around holes in the ground spewing noxious yellow gas. He reached the final ledge, still a good five feet up, and turned. From any other point in the crater he wouldn't have been able to notice it, but there was a path level with lava underneath the ledges he had just traversed.

This close to the lava's surface, the heat was stifling. Jak proceeded with uncharacteristic caution. It didn't appear to lead anywhere until the cave wall suddenly opened up. Somehow he hadn't noticed the large gap until it was right in front of him. Nestled into a large alcove was a Precursor oracle, most of it trapped behind piles of rock. He approached slowly, waiting for the now familiar rumble of its voice.

"Seek the pure light, for within its flame the answers reside. I have not a Power Cell to give you, but a token for the future, and a gift from your past." The oracle's light flared and something rolled across the ground as it fell from the statue's snout and toppled on its side when it hit Jak's foot. He picked the item up and examined it.

It was a circlet made from overlapping rectangles or Precurian metal, the same orangey-copper colour as Precursor orbs. It wasn't a full circle, instead the ends tapered off just before they could meet at the back. It was thicker in the front, with a slight dip in the centre with a sharp point, and there were two symbols pressed into the metal on either side. They looked similar to the letters written on the Precursor orbs, but more like a variation of it, because Jak couldn't recognize the letters.

He looked down at his belt. He didn't really have a place to keep the circlet, and his bag was already full. He also had a feeling he shouldn't show it to anyone. There was only one place he could think of hiding it where no one would find it.

Jak slipped off his goggles and placed the circlet on his head. It wasn't a perfect fit, just a little large for him, but when he put his goggles back on it was held perfectly in place. He felt around the leather strap, making sure none of the Precursor metal poked out from underneath. It was perfectly hidden.

He glanced at the oracle once more. He wasn't sure how the circlet could be important, or how it could be a "gift from his past." He had never seen it before, not that he knew of at least. But he kept it anyways. He may not have revered the Precursors like the sages, but he did respect them.

Jak nodded to the oracle, whose light had faded, and made his way back up to the bridge. He paused before setting foot on the first board and looked back at the branching cave. He planned on going there with Daxter, since he could hear people further in and needed someone that could actually vocalize. But there was no telling how long the transformed ottsel would take when and if he found the Red Sage's food. Samos might find something for them to do that would whisk Jak away from this opportunity.

Making a decision, Jak headed into the cave. Much like the tunnel leading into the crater, there were crystals forming along the walls. They were a pale blue, and some of the larger ones would probably cost a good number of Precursor orbs is sold. But they were worthless to Jak, he couldn't feel any eco energy from within them.

The cave wasn't very deep, and when Jak rounded a bend, he saw a small camp set up in front of a large gem. It was probably the same size as the Red Sage's lab. Two men stood in the middle of the camp bickering.

The man closest to Jack was short, with a large mustache and a pickaxe over his shoulder. There was a candle sitting on top of his head, dripping wax down his forehead, though it didn't seem to bother him.

The other man was taller, with a sort of dopey expression and dynamite stuffed into his belt. He held a broken shovel, and an open birdcage was perched on his flat head, a yellow canary tweeting happily inside.

They were both covered in mud from the waist down, and their hands were fairly dirty as well.

Because of his light steps they didn't notice Jak for a minute or two. Until the taller one looked over his companions shoulder and blinked in surprise.

"Hey, Gordy! Duh, I think we gots a visitor," he said, pointing unnecessarily in Jak's direction.

The short one, Gordy, rolled his eyes. "Ya think, Willard?" Gordy stepped forwards, directly in Jak's path. "Howdy, stranger! Passin' through? Us too! Well, we got be movin' on. Nothin' to see here!"

Neither man could tell, but Jak was clearly saying a sarcastic **really?** with his raised brow and tilted head.

Willard scratched his head in confusion. "Uh, I thought you said this was a priceless gem worth-"

"Willard!" Gordy shouted, rounding on his partner.

Jak shook his head, reaching around to his backpack, and pulled out a Power Cell. He pointed to it, then to them.

"What? You givin' it to us?" Gordy asked.

Jak shook his head again. He pointed to Gordy, then the Power Cell, and made a motion to indicate the miners giving it to him.

"Uh, what's he doin'?" Willard asked, scowling and watching Jak's hands closely.

"I think he wants us to give him a Power Cell," Gordy explained.

Jak nodded fervently, returning the Cell to his bag, and smiled at them both.

"We got four of 'em!" Willard said brightly, reaching for a pouch on his waist. "You want 'em?"

He was stopped by Gordy, who smacked Willard's hand with his pickaxe. "What bird-brain here is _trying_ to say is: We _may_ have a few Power Cells around, and we _might_ be willing to part with them, but not for free!"

Jak knew he was asking for Precursor orbs, but he had something else in mind. He pointed to the crystal.

"What does that mean?" Gordy asked, frowning. He backed up, spreading his arms out as if he could stop Jak if he suddenly charged. He most definitely couldn't. "You're not takin' that, it's ours! We got twelve years of diggin' ahead of us!"

"Uh, Gordy? Wouldn't it take less time if you dug too?" Willard asked.

Jak pointed eagerly to Willard, then to himself.

"You wanna help too?"

Jak nodded.

"You're not stealin' it from us," Gordy hissed. He held out his pickaxe in what was meant to be a threatening manner, but Jak had faced far scarier things, and he had the scars to prove it.

He made a digging motion, pointed to the crystal, then to Gordy and Willard. Then he repeated the giving motion he used for the Power Cells.

"You help us dig, we give you the Power Cells, is that it?" Gordy asked. He lowered his pickaxe and considered the offer. "You're not gonna steal it?"

Jak shook his head.

"Alright. You help us, you get the Power Cells." Gordy stuck out his hand and Jak shook it eagerly, then turned and ran out of the cave.

"Hey! Where're you goin'? We have a deal!" Gordy shouted after him while Willard just waved.

Jak ran across the bridge, around the walkway, and across the second bridge towards the crater entrance. He jogged past Keira at the trans pad and approached the closest cluster of red eco crystals. Pure, untampered eco was a powerful thing. Jak had only toyed with it a few times, and Samos chewed him out appropriately each time, but he wanted to help the miners and this was the best way to do it.

Jak kicked at a decent sized crystal, dislodging it from the wall. He took the wrappings from his forearms and covered his hands so he wasn't directly touching the crystal, then started to head back.

Keira looked up from the Zoomer as he passed, her eyes widening.

"Jak, what are you doing?" she asked, the worry in her voice evident.

 **Getting some Power Cells.**

"Don't let Daddy catch you," she called after him.

Jak looked over his shoulder. **I won't**. He ducked under the Red Sage's window as he made his way back around the lab, and dashed across the bridge before Samos could see him.

"So you didn't forget out deal," Gordy grumbled, eyeing Jak as he approached. "You help use, we'll give you one of our Power Cells."

"Duh, you said _all_ ," Willard corrected him.

"Willard!" Gordy shouted in chastisement. "Fine, _all_ our Power Cells."

Jak grinned and walked up to the camp, dropping the eco crystal beside the small fire. He re-tied his wrist wrappings and laid a hand on the bright red surface, closing his eyes. He could feel the energy humming beneath his fingers, eager to be released. He pulled at it, drawing the eco into his body. The weight of the energy set in immediately, but Jak didn't pull away. He took in as much of the eco as he could, enough he was forced to bend his knees, and it felt like he would start sinking into the ground.

Jak opened his eyes to see the crystal was now a pale pink. He could feel his muscles straining to hold themselves together and got to work. He stalked towards the crystal, brushing past Gordy and Willard. He tore into the surrounding rock with his bare hands. With the excess energy, his fingers slipped through the stone like it were Yakkow butter. He would punch through the rock and curl his fingers before ripping backwards, tearing large chunks from the wall. His hands were glowing red as he did this, and the eco pulsing beneath his skin.

He dug on both sides until he could see the edges of the gem. The eco inside him was a tumult of energy, tumbling through his limbs, threatening to rip him apart. If Jak didn't release it soon, it just might. He stood at the gem's front and thrust his arms forwards, sinking up to his elbows.

"Hey, what are you doin'?" Gordy shouted, but Jak ignored him.

He braced his feet on the ground, channeling all the red eco into his arms, and pulled. His muscles bulged, the veins on his arms pulsing with effort. Jak's heels dug into the ground. Two, three, four inches, before the gem started to shift. Jak's arms ached and burned as he took a step backwards, leaning forwards then heaving back, dragging the gem with him. The cave shook, rocks falling from the ceiling, and Jak heaved again, dragging it forwards a few more feet. He felt a stinging pain in his arms, but didn't stop until the gem was free.

Jak released the eco, leaving thin red veins in the gem as it looked for a place to go, and collapsed as he pulled his hands out. There were several tears in the skin along his arms, the wounds brimming red with blood and eco. He held on to the energy too long. Any longer and his arms would have been destroyed.

"Uh, want this?" Willard asked, unwrapping his belt and holding it out to Jak. Jak nodded in thanks, taking the leather and cloth item, and ripped it into strips that he wrapped around the cuts.

"You really did it," Gordy said, gaping at the gem. He looked at Jak, taking in his expectant expression. "Oh, alright already! Here's the Power Cells for your help!"

Gordy and Willard pulled two Power Cells each from their pockets and passed them over. Jak took them eagerly and added them to his collection. He stood up, rubbing his arms in an attempt to ease the aching. As he walked away, he heard Willard say, "Uh, how do we get it outta here?"

…

Jak found Keira and Daxter already back at the Red Sage's lab. He wasn't sure of the mechanic had finished her Zoomer work yet, because there was still oil smeared across her arms, and she was toying with the large wrench in her hands. Samos was flipping worriedly through a stack of papers.

"Whoa, what happened to you?" Daxter asked when he saw Jak, taking in the bloodstained cloths on his arms.

 **A little red eco fun**.

"You have a very strange definition of fun, my friend," Daxter said, plucking at the makeshift bandages.

"Jak, you need eco," Keira said. She passed him a vial of green eco and he channelled it into his arms. Immediately the aching faded.

Jak was worried Samos would notice his new injuries and sense the lingering energy in his wounds, but as the green sage turned, he remained completely oblivious to Jak as he snatched up a few stray pages lying on the floor. He scanned the pages and his eyes widened. "Great balls of eco! The Red Sage was keeping track of a large Lurker presence in the Spider Caves!"

Samos finally looked open, zeroing in on Jak and Daxter, and both boys immediately knew what he was thinking.

"Great. Sounds like a real cheery place. Let me guess, there _spiders_ in the _Spider_ Caves, right?!" Daxter shouted. His hatred of skittering arachnids almost equalled Jak's own dislike for whumpbees.

"Of course there are spiders in the Spider Caves! But that's the least of your problems!" Samos scolded.

The boys shared a knowing look. Of course it would be _their_ problem.

"The Spider Caves are filled with crystals of concentrated dark eco, the Lurkers must be after them. You've got to destroy the crystals before those monsters get their hands on them! Hop to it!" Samos shooed the boys away, and they left the lab.

"Sheesh. We've always gotta do everything, don't we?" Daxter drawled.

The sound of light footsteps made Jak turn. Keira was running down the ramp towards them.

"I'd come with you, but… spiders," Keira explained. It was the one thing she had in common with Daxter, besides being friends with Jak. "Daddy says you can ride one of the mine carts, and they'll take you to the entrance of the caves."

Jak looked in the direction Keira had pointed. There were two rickety looking tracks on either side of a stone walkway. Both disappeared into the darkness on either side of the cave. Jak made his way over and stood above the track Keira had motioned to, watching the approaching cart. When it was close enough, he jumped inside. The metal was warm from constantly circling the lava, but not unbearable. Daxter was gripping Jak's hair tightly and leaning over to look into the bubbling substance below.

"If I fall, Jak, I'm takin' you with me," Daxter muttered. Jak just chuckled silently as the cart reached the far bend. He climbed onto a rock ledge before it started taking him back towards the lab and looked at the gaping hole in the rock face.

"It's, ah, lookin' a little dark in there, huh?" Daxter asked.

Jak nodded as he stepped into the cave, stopping just before the shadows. Already he could hear the skittering of large spiders along the cave walls.

"You sure you wanna go in there? I mean, I'm all for it, great hero and all, but…" Daxter's sentence tapered off with a nervous chuckle. Jak bumped him lightly with his knuckles.

 _ **You'll**_ _ **be**_ _ **fine**_ **.**

"Says the guy that doesn't look like a yummy spider snack," Daxter grumbled, be he made no further protests.

 _ **Come on, Dax. It'll be fun.**_

Daxter gulped. "I was afraid you'd think that."

…

 **Look at that, I actually managed to update on time! Originally I had the whole story written out, but I decided to add a couple parts. The third oracle and the Spider Caves, for instance, weren't in my original plan, but they are now, along with Snowy Mountain.**

 **Thank you to** The Keyrim **and** Blueeyedbeast12 **for following** , **and** A fan **for reviewing!**

 **A fan:** Thank you! I'm happy you're enjoying it. Jak probably won't go all out Dark Jak, but there's definitely going to be some dark eco action. Our little Jakkie isn't starting out so pure in this story.

' **See' you next time!**


	8. Improvements

**Hi everyone!**

 **Sorry this story hasn't been active in a while. I did originally have it all prewritten, but I decided to add a couple chapters in the middle, and that messed with the already written later chapters, even though the story was really close to the end.**

 **I'm not abandoning it, but I want to give this story actual plot rather than using it as a precursor to the follow up novelizations of the game. For this reason, I'll be rewriting End of Innocence and posting it as a new story, taking this one down after.**

 **I'm not sure how long the rewriting will take, but I will post an update here when that story goes up so none of you miss it.**

 **Thanks everyone that followed, favourited, and reviewed so far! I hope you'll like the new version even better!**

 **'See' you later!**

 **Unlucky Alis**


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